The government is reviewing the legal basis and procedures before deciding on suspending the broadcast of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Bangladesh, said Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan. A final decision will be made after completing the necessary processes.
She made the remarks on Sunday (January 4) at an exchange meeting organized by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat media center. The event was chaired by BSRF President Masudul Haque and conducted by General Secretary Ubaidullah Badal.
Recently, Interim Government Law and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul strongly condemned and protested the decision to exclude Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for political reasons. He also directed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to request the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches in the upcoming T20 World Cup from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns.
Responding to questions from journalists, the Information Adviser said, “Sports should ideally remain in the realm of sports, but unfortunately, politics has been involved here.”
Syeda Rizwana Hasan added that while political tensions usually exist, sports and cultural exchanges are meant to reduce such distances. However, the IPL situation reflects the opposite.
Commenting on Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion, she said, “Reports in the media indicate that a Bangladeshi player was confirmed but was later not included due to political considerations. Naturally, this has triggered strong negative reactions among the country’s people.”
She further stated, “In this situation, we must take a position. We are currently reviewing the legal basis and procedures for such a stance. Necessary steps will be taken after thorough verification.”
The exchange meeting was attended by Information Secretary Mahbuba Farzana, members of the BSRF executive committee, and several journalists, where various issues concerning the media and the country’s current situation were a
lso discussed.
