Bangladesh News

Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday launched a broadside against the editors of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.

Referring to Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, she said, “It becomes a breach of diplomatic norms when we accept US ambassador’s invitation to tea. But were diplomatic norms maintained when they (the two editors) went to the Election Commission (EC) office with two foreign diplomats on Election Day, 2001?”

She said these people (the two editors) went to the US embassy to mediate when Mahmudur Rahman filed a case against Debapriya Bhattacharya.

“Did it not breach diplomatic norms? In fact, everything is right when it suits them and wrong when it doesn’t,” she stated.

On contact, Matiur Rahman said the statement that Sheikh Hasina made about him was false. He said he did not go to the EC office on Election Day 2001. He also said he did not mediate in the withdrawal of the case filed against Debapriya or go to the US embassy for this purpose.

When contacted Mahfuz Anam termed Sheikh Hasina’s comments to be totally false. About Debapriya’s incident, he said he played absolutely no part in the mediation and he did not go to any diplomats or the US ambassador’s house in this connection.

About going to the EC with two diplomats in 2001, he termed Hasina’s comments to be false and said as a major news event he went to the EC media centre on Election Days of 1991, 1996 and 2001 along with The Daily Star reporters. He categorically denied taking any foreign diplomats with him.