Dhaka, March 14 -- Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has called on the media to play its role as the "fourth pillar" of the state, warning that its failure would inevitably lead to the collapse of the three other pillars.

Speaking as the chief guest at an Iftar party hosted by Jamaat's Dhaka Metropolitan South unit for journalists on Saturday, Shafiqur emphasised that a functional media is essential for keeping the state on the "right path".

"If the media remains firm, the other three pillars will be compelled to follow the right course," he said.

"But if the fourth pillar fails and becomes fragile, the remaining three will automatically fail."

The Jamaat chief noted that while objective journalism is ...