Bangladesh-Pakistan-India media faces same challenges in all countries: Dawn Editor
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Zafar Abbas, editor of Pakistani newspaper Dawn commented that the crisis of media freedom, good governance and corruption is almost the same in South Asian countries. He said, Bangladesh, Pakistan or India – media in all countries are facing similar challenges.
Zafar Abbas said these things in the second session of ‘Bangladesh Journalism Conference 2026’ at a hotel in the capital on Saturday morning. The two-day international conference is organized by the Media Resources Development Initiative (MRDI). The topic of discussion in this session is ‘Politico-Governance Ecosystem and Free Media’. The session was moderated by Shakhawat Liton, Executive Editor of Business Standard.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Zafar Abbas said, when discussing the situation of good governance, Bangladesh’s “Press Freedom Index”, corruption perception index, he felt as if Pakistan was being talked about. He said, if an Indian journalist had been there, he would have expressed the same sentiments.
This former BBC journalist and editor of Dawn said that in South Asian countries, political conflicts, big urban crimes or power struggles get more attention in the media. But the issues of minorities, marginalized groups and marginalized people often remain hidden. He said, as is happening in Pakistan, the same trend is seen in other countries including India, Sri Lanka.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Sitting down and discussing these common problems with South Asian journalists can create an opportunity for self-criticism. Zafar Abbas said that journalists should rethink their work and responsibilities.
This veteran editor said that if journalists do self-criticism, it will be possible to create positive pressure on both the government and the society.
In his speech, Zafar Abbas also emphasized on the development of relations between media, society and government. He said, not only the failure of the government, but also the overall condition of the society should be taken into consideration. In this case, the responsibility of media is more.
Criticizing the trend of comparison with Western countries regarding the quality of life and development, Zafar Abbas said that the reality of South Asian countries is different. Rather than comparing countries with smaller populations like Sweden and Norway, it is important to first identify common problems and challenges in South Asia.
After the crisis, Dawn editor said, the structure of industry, economy and freedom of developed countries has been developed in different historical reality. Therefore, the countries of South Asia should find a way for media freedom, good governance and development by considering their own reality.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, Daily Star Consulting Editor Kamal Ahmed, former BBC journalist Anwar Shakeel, Samakal Editor Shahed Muhammad Ali also spoke in the discussion.
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