“The effort to pass off militants and criminals in the name of democracy is the biggest act of corruption,” Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said, adding “Corruption should not be tolerated anywhere, neither in the administration nor in politics,” reports BSS. The minister was speaking as the chief guest at a function yesterday at the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) auditorium organised by the Anti-Corruption Commission to distribute “Anti-Corruption Media Award-2015”to the best journalists of the year. At the beginning of his speech the minister paid rich tributes to Habibur Rahman Milon, chairman of PIB, who expired yesterday night. The minister further said that efforts to pass off political parties harboring war criminals, militants and communal elements as democratic, are a travesty of truth. “The absence of transparency, accountability and enforcement of law could very well encourage corruption in administration, politics, business, international organizations and intellectuals. The regulatory bodies of the country including the Anti-Corruption Commi­ssion, Information Commi­ssion and Human Rights Commission need to act as sentinels of liberty, “he said. Elaborating further, he said “That is the reason why the media has to play an effective role with integrity.” Chaired by the Editor, Dainik Samakal, Golam Sarwar, others who spoke at the function as special guests included Dr Nasir Uddin Ahmed, commissioner, Anti-Corruption Commission and Informa­tion Secretary Mortuza Ahmed.