Dhaka, Dec 19 (V7N)- Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor, has expressed deep regret over the attack, vandalism and arson carried out on the offices of the country’s leading media outlets The Daily Star and Prothom Alo on Thursday night.

He conveyed his apology in a post from his verified Facebook account on Friday afternoon.

In the post, Shafiqul Alam wrote that he received repeated panic-stricken and tearful phone calls throughout the night from journalists of both media houses seeking help. “To all my friends, I want to say that I am deeply sorry that I failed to stand by you,” he wrote, adding that despite making numerous calls to the appropriate authorities to arrange assistance, help did not arrive in time.

He further stated that he finally went to bed around 5:00 am after receiving confirmation that all journalists trapped inside The Daily Star building had been safely rescued. However, by that time, both media organizations had already suffered what he described as the worst attacks and arson incidents in the history of the country’s media sector.

Expressing personal anguish, the press secretary said he could not find the right words to console the affected journalists. “As a former journalist, I can only say this—I am sincerely sorry. I wish I could go underground in shame—that is my feeling,” he wrote.

The attacks on the two prominent newspapers have sparked widespread concern among journalists and civil society members over media safety and freedom of the press in the country.

END/SMA/AJ