Karachi, 05 December 2022:

President of Karachi Press Club Mr. Fazil Jamili called on the Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi S. M. Mahbubul Alam at the Chancery. Secretary, Diplomatic Relations of the Press Club was also present during the meeting.   

During the meeting, the Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam briefed the President of the Karachi Press Club that Bangladesh has been developing in all the socio-economic indicators. He mentioned that Bangladesh has a very vibrant media. Bangladesh is a secular democratic country with traditional inclusive society. Rights of all from all strata of the society are well protected in Bangladesh. The media has been growing very fast in Bangladesh. He said that the media has been enjoying freedom of expression. The freedom of press in Bangladesh is guaranteed by the national constitution of the country. He further said that the number of Private TV Channels/electronic media, print newspapers/magazine/publications has increased tremendously in the recent decades. The emergence of satellite television and the spread of internet in Bangladesh in last one and a half decades have changed the media landscape in Bangladesh. As for example, in 1999, there was only one state-own radio station in Bangladesh whereas currently there are over 35 radio stations in the country. The media has been playing a vital role in the society. He commented that journalistic ethics and professional standard are vital to hold the values of serving the public. Journalism is to regard as a noble profession for maintaining dignity, professionalism, ethical standard, and commitment.  

Deputy High Commissioner also highlighted the success stories of socio-economic progress in Bangladesh and mentioned that Bangladesh has become a ‘Role Model’ of socio-economic development in the world. The per capita income of Bangladesh is currently US2,824 and Bangladesh is currently among the five fastest growing economies in the world, ranking 41st in terms of GDP. He also mentioned that in Bangladesh current primary enrollment rate is over 98 percent. He added in 1971 literacy rate in Bangladesh was only 18 percent, which is currently over 78 percent. He shared that Bangladesh has constructed 6.15 Kilometers Padma Bridge with a cost of over US$3.8 billion from her own source, which is a pride and symbol of confidence of Bangladesh. He further added that Bangladesh has already achieved ‘Vision 2021’ and is striving hard to achieve “Vision 2041” to become a higher middle-income country by 2031 and developed country by 2041.

Deputy High Commissioner requested the President of Karachi Press Club to publish more articles on Bangladesh’s achievements and success stories. The President was highly impressed by the success stories of Bangladesh and sincerely appreciated the impressive success stories of Bangladesh. He assured the Deputy High Commissioner that the Karachi Press Club would be very pleased to publish the bright and encouraging success stories of Bangladesh, which the common people of their country are interested to know such as the development model of Bangladesh. He commented that the success stories of Bangladesh encourage them to excel in matters of their concerns and challenges in areas such as socio-economic developments, climate change, disaster managements, women empowerment, family planning, education, foreign trade and investment, and economic growth.