Information Adviser to inquire into cancellation of journalist's accreditation card

Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman has said he will personally look into whether a journalist's accreditation card was cancelled for asking questions to the government.

He said this in response to journalists' questions at the weekly briefing at the Information Department conference room on Tuesday, September 15.

Referring to a recent report published in a media outlet, a journalist said a journalist's accreditation card had been cancelled without informing the journalist or their organisation of the reason. He also raised the question of whether the decision was taken because the journalist had asked questions to the government.

In response, Zahed Ur Rahman said he does not believe the government would take such action against a journalist merely for asking questions. He said journalists ask him questions on various matters every day, and if asking questions alone were grounds for cancelling a card, everyone's card would have been cancelled.

Saying the report had come to his attention, the Information Adviser said he would look into why the card was cancelled and what had happened behind it. He said he would personally investigate the matter.

Highlighting the government's tolerance for criticism and questions, Zahed Ur Rahman said that even though a huge amount of misinformation has been spread about top-level government figures, the right of journalists to ask questions has not been curtailed in response.