The Daily Star celebrates 19th founding anniversary

The Daily Star yesterday celebrated its 19th founding anniversary through a programme attended by country’s leading personalities, including ministers, politicians, academics, celebrities, businesspersons, and members of the diplomatic corps, the media and the civil society.
The leading English daily hosted a reception on the occasion at the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, sharing the joy of its success with hundreds of well-wishers and patrons.
The presence of personalities from home and abroad, incumbent ministers, former advisers to caretaker governments, and incumbent and former bureaucrats made the celebration remarkable.
Speaking on the occasion, Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam said, “In the last 19 years the ethos we tried to represent is journalism without fear or favour. It is our duty to represent public interests, it is the public interest that makes the nation and it is the public interest that ultimately makes a newspaper. And we have tried the best of our abilities to represent the public interest.”
He appreciated and expressed gratitude to the readers, advertisers, columnists and patrons for their continuous support and help to the newspaper to move forward.
“We feel in The Daily Star our obligation to national interests above all sorts of vested interests,” said Mahfuz Anam. “It is you [readers and patrons] to judge whether we have succeeded or not.”
He said a newspaper cannot exist if it does not have readers. “So, we are delighted to have your support and I thank all the readers on behalf of The Daily Star team.”
He also recalled the contributions of founding editor SM Ali, founding managing director AS Mahmud and founding executive editor Tawfiq Aziz Khan.
Chairperson of the Media World, the owner organisation of The Daily Star, Rokia Afzal Rahman welcomed and thanked the guests.
Prof Rehman Sobhan, Prof Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, Election Commissioner Sohul Hossain, former caretaker government advisers M Hafizuddin Khan and Rasheda K Chowdhury, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Commerce Minister Col (retd) Faruk Khan, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister GM Quader, Awami League leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Obaidul Quader, BNP leader MK Anwar, Communist Party of Bangladesh Secretary General Mujahidul Islam Selim, Workers Party chief Rashed Khan Menon, daily Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, daily Independent Editor Mahbubul Alam, daily Manabjamin Editor Motiur Rahman Chowdhury, Ambassador Muhammad Jamir, Maj Gen (retd) Muhammad Ibrahim, Syed Abul Maksud, Iftekharuzzaman, Manusher Jonno Executive Director Shaheen Anam, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad General Secretary Ayesha Khanam, Prof Badiul Alam Majumder, Ainun Nishat, Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, PSC Chairman Sadat Hossain, barrister Rafiq Ul Haque, noted singer Runa Laila, actor Alamgir, actresses Suchanda, Babita and Champa, singer Samina Chowdhury, among others, were present at the reception.
A large number of professionals, officials from development agencies and non-government organisations also attended the colourful function that ended with a dinner party.
Executive Editor of The Daily Star Syed Fahim Munaim conducted the function.

Courtesy of The Daily Star