Staff Reporter :
Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Friday reaffirmed Bangladesh’s strong commitment to secularism, highlighting the country’s unique harmony among people of all religious faiths.
“Bangladesh has always practiced secularism. There is no such secularism like Bangladesh elsewhere in the world,” he said while speaking to reporters during his visit to the holy pilgrimage site of Langalbandh in Narayanganj, reports BSS.
The Home Adviser was inspecting arrangements for the Maha Ashtami Snan, a major Hindu religious festival during which hundreds of devotees, both local and foreign, take a holy dip in the Brahmaputra River.
Emphasising religious unity, Jahangir Alam noted that Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians all live together peacefully in Bangladesh.
“We have no differences among the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian communities. All are Bangladeshis here,” he asserted. We all are equal in the soil of Bangladesh. So we have no inequality here.
He urged authorities to enhance future preparations for the religious festival to make it more festive and inclusive. Referring to the site’s tourism potential, he said the Deputy Commissioner of Narayanganj has already announced Langalbandh as a tourist spot in consultation with the Ministry of Tourism.
“However, we must always remember its religious importance and sanctity,” he added.
Responding to questions about media responsibility, Jahangir urged journalists to report truthfully and objectively, especially in the face of misinformation spread by certain local and international media outlets.
“Write about the wrong, if we have. But don’t give false news,” he said, calling for responsible journalism.
Senior civil and military officials accompanied the Home Adviser during the visit and media briefing.
