Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday criticised Bangladeshi TV channels over live telecast of the government’s preparations during the country’s worst hostage crisis and threatened to revoke their licenses.
“When we are taking preparations, channels were telecasting those live. Do they not think that the terrorists are watching this and devising their strategies accordinglyIJ I request the television channel owners to please not do this,” Hasina said while announcing the success of the operations carried out at Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan.
She criticised the television channels’ role during conducting operations.
“In the United States, when people were killed, neither CNN nor BBC showed anything to jeopardise the operation. But in our country, there is competition between the television channels. Some television channels do not want to listen.
“I can issue the licence and I can revoke it as well. This is not a childish game,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune. Hasina asked the television owners to telecast the bad side of militancy, “It is the responsibility of all”.
“People have to be resistant against this. We can not let this impede the development taking place in Bangladesh,” Hasina said as she asked people to resist militancy.