Chief adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday said what Donald Trump, who is running again for the White House, thinks about the events in Bangladesh “does obviously matter”, but stressed that their task in the government is to tell the truth.
“He [Trump] may soon become the leader of the free world. But our task is to tell our truth in the most transparent and compelling way possible,” he said.
From the onset, Shafiqul said, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus’s strategy was to invite all foreign journalists, researchers, and experts to come and visit Bangladesh.
“Let them discover Bangladesh in their own way, for we are confident of our society, our people, our country,” said the press secretary.
He referred to Netra News as a most respected investigative news outlet on Bangladesh, which according to Shafiqul did an “excellent piece” of journalism.
“It shattered some of the lies propagated by the umbrella minority group, Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council,” Shafiqul said on a Facebook post.
Trump, on Thursday, strongly condemned the “barbaric violence” against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are “getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos”.
Shafiqul said they know the group’s claims played a big part in building the most false narrative on the revolution, especially on the violence targeting minority communities.
“We don’t deny that some religiously motivated violence didn’t take place. But they were isolated incidents and even then hugely exaggerated. Lies don’t trigger a revolution — you have to give credit to the collective intelligence of the people,” said the press secretary.
“You have to respect them as individuals and people. Momentarily, those motivated groups might win. But soon they will realise that their narrative does not have any legs. No amount of social media boosting or banners on New York public transport system and vans can then help their cause,” he said.
Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, who was recently appointed as an ambassador of Bangladesh, thanked Donald Trump for acknowledging the importance of protecting minorities wherever they are, regardless of their religion.
“However, fact-checking is essential to understand the real situation on the ground,” he said in a reply to Trump through his X handle.
Ansarey also shared a “fact-checking” report of Sweden-based news organisation Netra News that sheds light on what is being circulated by certain vested groups regarding Bangladesh.
Daily Star
