BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir asserted that while media freedom has increased, unhealthy rivalries between media groups and their political affiliations pose a threat. “Freedom of the press doesn't mean silencing those you disagree with,” he said. He credited the BNP for reopening media freedom in 1975 after it was shut down under the one-party BAKSAL system. “We’re not claiming moral perfection, but BNP has done more than any other party to protect press freedom,” Fakhrul added.