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Law, justice and parliamentary affairs adviser Asif Nazrul on Sunday said that the Cyber Security Act would be amended soon.

‘The CSA will be amended as it needs to be amended,’ he said adding, ‘His ministry will start work on this issue soon.’

Asif Nazrul was addressing a views-exchange meeting, organised by NGO affairs bureau and Right to Information Forum, in Dhaka’s Agargaon area.

He said that people had lack of awareness on Right to Information unlike other rights. All rights were worthless without the RTI as every right closely depended on it.

‘In absence of proper execution of law, justice and governance there is no utility of the information commission or human rights commission in a country.’

‘Those people, who speak about the RTI should also tell for fair elections, intimidation, force disappearance and extrajudicial killing,’ he said.

The adviser said that the previous government had made the judiciary an instrument of torture and legislative forum of plunderers. ‘We should be vocal about these things.’

The RTI Act was formulated during the tenure of the previous government. In contrary, many laws were framed by that government to destroy the spirit of the RTI, he added.

‘It is not possible to implement any law without fixing the good governance, law and justice. We must be vocal about democracy, voting rights of the people and independence of the judiciary,’ he continued.

‘We will always remain against the bad . . . and will be in favour of good. I hope that civil society will always uphold this principle and extend cooperation to build a new Bangladesh, emerged from the student-led upsurge,’ Asif Nazrul added.

Electoral reform commission head Badiul Alam Majumder took part during opening discussion while RIF convenor Shahin Anam presented keynote paper.

‘The fascist government has fallen down, but their ghosts are still now active. They are harassing people continuously in many ways, which should be stopped immediately,’ Badiul Alam said.

Transparency International Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman said that common people did not want to know the necessary information from any government agency in fear of harassment.

‘We have to create such an environment where people will be encouraged to take information,’ he said.

Cabinet division secretary (coordination and reform) Md Mahmudul Hossain Khan and secretary of ICT division Shish Haider Chowdhury addressed the meeting with NGO affairs bureau director general Md Saidur Rahman in chair.

NGO affairs bureau director Md Anowar Hossain and executive director of media and resources development initiative Hasibur Rahman attended the function as panel discussants while noted policy analyst Anonnyo Raihan was the moderator.