Move Under Way to Amend Cyber Security and Other Laws: Information Minister

Information Minister Andalev Rahman Partho has said an initiative has been taken to amend various laws, including the Cyber Security Act. Discussions are under way with stakeholders, including owners of television channels and newspapers, he said.

The information minister made the remarks on Wednesday night while answering journalists' questions after visiting several Durga Puja pavilions in his parliamentary constituency, Bhola-1, for Sharodiya Durga Puja and exchanging greetings with members of the Hindu community.

Barrister Andalev Rahman Partho said efforts are under way to amend laws starting with cyber security. The government is sitting with stakeholders and discussing with owners of various television channels and newspapers how the matter can be taken forward, so that journalists, the government and ordinary people all receive protection. It is an ongoing process, and he expressed hope that something good would come of it.

The minister's remarks make clear that the law reform process is still at the discussion stage, with emphasis on taking stakeholders' views. His mention of talks with television and newspaper owners suggests the ministry wants to decide the next steps after speaking with those connected to the media.

On security during Durga Puja, the information minister said he had been speaking about the issue since before the election. This time, people of all communities, Hindu and Muslim alike, have been given adequate security, he said. The comment came in response to journalists' questions about festival security arrangements during his pavilion visits.

Asked about the killing of a journalist in Netrokona, the information minister said it is not only about a journalist; if such an incident happens to anyone, it will be dealt with as provided in the existing law. In other words, he indicated that the case would proceed under the prevailing law.

Leaders of the Puja celebration committees and local leaders and activists of his party were present during the pavilion visits. The minister's programme in Bhola-1 was part of exchanging Durga Puja greetings and reviewing the security situation around the festival.

News of the initiative to amend the Cyber Security Act is significant because questions over the protection of journalists and ordinary people under this law have long been under discussion. The minister himself mentioned journalists' protection, saying the aim of the amendment is a system in which journalists, the government and ordinary people all receive protection.

The minister did not specify which sections would be changed or when a draft would be finalised. He described the process as ongoing and said discussions with stakeholders are continuing. The final shape may therefore take more time to emerge.

Once this round of stakeholder discussions is complete, more specific information about the amendments is expected to emerge. In the minister's words, something good lies ahead on this issue. Journalists and stakeholders will now watch the progress of those talks and the next announcement.