Star anniversary celebration a projection meeting: Hanif

Awami League joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif yesterday said most of the people of Bangladesh believed that the founding anniversary celebration programme of The Daily Star was nothing but a "projection meeting".

"The projection meeting was held with the person who was the key man behind the 1/11 conspiracy (of 2006)," he said without mentioning any name.

He made the remarks at a press conference after emerging from a joint meeting of the party at AL president Sheikh Hasina's political office at the capital's Dhanmondi.

Hanif said, "The Daily Star celebrated its founding anniversary a few days back spending a few crore taka. Nearly 10,000 people were invited. Many came from abroad. Was it merely a founding anniversary celebration?

"An eminent person of the country spoke at the founding anniversary function for nearly two hours. At this, many people of the country believed that it was a projection meeting."

He alleged that the newspaper had published false reports to have Sheikh Hasina removed from politics.

The joint meeting was chaired by party presidium member Obaidul Quader and attended, among others, by joint general secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain, BM Mozammel Haque and AFM Bahauddin Nasim.