Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid on Friday called upon all newspapers to continue their contributions to the development of the country through responsible journalism.

“They [newspapers] need to play a pro-active role in preserving the democracy and upholding the values of the constitution of the country,” said Hamid, while speaking as the chief guest of a programme on The Daily Star’s 25th anniversary at the Osmani Auditorium in Dhaka on Friday. He also called upon the newspapers to exercise the freedom of the press responsibly to bring welfare for the people and the country.

The Daily Star awarded 24 prominent individuals and an institution with lifetime achievement awards at the event to honour their contribution to the society.

A number of newspaper leaders from South and Southeast Asia also attended the programme.

“The government believes in press freedom and any attack on the press is also a threat to democracy and that journalists must fight evil forces concertedly,” said the Bangladeshi president.

Terming newspapers the mirror of a country, Hamid said free flow of information and freedom of expression was important for the proper development of mass media.

Hamid also said newspapers voiced the woes of the downtrodden people of the society to establish their rights.

“Their intellectual input to planning and implementation of various development policies such as women empowerment, poverty reduction, urban and rural development is well-recognised,” he added.

Stating that English language dailies have a special place in “our media scene as they connect Bangladesh to the global audience and brightened the image of the country by highlighting its successes”, Hamid said.