In a bizarre show, a misleading and embedded question at State Department, based on another manipulated reportage, triggered an official response from the spokesperson, putting a dent on America’s ideology. Rather, it exposed that US officials’ response is driven by rumors not by facts.
Mushfiq Fazal Ansari, a former press official appointed by Khaleda Zia and turned into a close aide to Tarique Rahman, was endowed with the privilege to raise politically motivated, provocative and loaded questions at yesterday’s briefing. Expectedly, the question and the response brought cheers at the opposition BNP, an outfit reportedly exposed for even faking cases of human rights.
The latest classic agenda-driven work can be traced to a report that first appeared in The Daily Star that has been falsely attributed to Salman F Rahman, and the headline of the story is far beyond what he had briefed reporters in reality.
“US for lifting Rab Sanctions” was the sensitized headline published by the daily referring to Salman but in the entire briefing the advisor to PM did not say for once what the daily asserted.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/us-lifting-rab-sanctions-3610341
Rather following a dinner accorded by Salman to Donald Lu, during his recent two day visit, a press conference was arranged to inform what transpired in the meeting pertaining to national interest.
https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=472527
As part of the briefing he clearly mentioned that “US department of Justice is independent and authorized to deal with the sanction. “But we are pushing” he added referring to efforts put in place by the government.
Yet leaving that key part behind, Ansari raised a question that Salman told press about possible lifting of sanction from Rab from US.
And alarmingly, Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, promptly responded.
“This is false we are not lifting sanctions”, came the response without any fact-checking or judging the reality on ground, as if the question and answer were prepared beforehand.
A report in UNB pointed out the error in the question mentioning “Nobody from the government of Bangladesh claimed that the US is withdrawing the sanctions.”
https://unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/us-sanctions-against-rab-will-stay-state-department/135745
Journalists say, this question from Ansari is not a work of journalism and in the past, he repeatedly raised several questions filled with fiction, half-truth and innuendos. All these political hit job has been carried out with a single agenda to serve the interest of his party BNP. And BNP leaders were frequently found congratulating him as their deep asset in the state department.
They called Ansari a spin doctor who carries out political hit jobs against Awami League as he even attended political shows on youtube where he claimed “US does not credit Sheikh Hasina for sheltering the Rohingyas” and publicly vowed for US backing to bring BNP in power.
Political analysts are also asking questions about Donald Lu’s call for rebuilding the trust in bilateral ties without looking back as strains like Ansari are still allowed to play political games at State Department briefings.
Importantly, Ansari even faked his journalistic credentials as exposed by UNB in recent times.
Though he claimed to work with UNB as a political correspondent in a rebuttal, UNB clarified he never worked as a political reporter there yet he enjoys access to the State Department and has been allowed to ask questions.
In the past, Ansari reportedly abused his accreditation card as he misquoted several government officials including Prime Minister while repeatedly attempted to glorify the acting chief of BNP and downplayed the violence unleashed by his party BNP on innocent people on streets.
https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=458260
On Daily Star, experts say the outlet’s editor has been found involved in legitimizing a military backed unelected caretaker government as the daily published a series of smear campaign against Sheikh Hasina to help that regime back in 2007.
https://apnews.com/50428557160e4369bb2237708ffbd8c0
