AL dissidents want trial of war criminals

Trackback URL

Download PDF

The dissidents in the Awami League, who are pressing for in-party reforms, on Friday decided to insert some new demands, including the trial of 1971 war criminals, in their reform proposals.
The leaders at an informal meeting held at the Dhanmondi residence of Professor Abu Sayeed, reviewed various aspects of the changing situation following the arrest of the party president, Sheikh Hasina, and discussed the further course of action regarding the reform moves.
They also decided to keep a close watch on the process of voter registration by the Election Commission, meeting sources said.
The meeting also decided to include the demands for state recognition of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the father of the nation and declaring August 15 as the national mourning day, the sources said.
‘It is possible to hold trial of the war criminals as per the constitution of the country. We have decided to include the demand in our reform proposals,’ Abu Sayeed, a central leader of the party, told reporters after the meeting.
Terming the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders war criminals, Sayeed, also a member of the three-member reform proposal draft committee, said that the fundamentalist organisation cared little about the country’s constitution.
‘The Jamaat wants an Islamic republic, although we are living in a people’s republic as per our constitution,’ he said, adding that the Jamaat people were violating the constitution.
The dissidents called upon the people to observe August 15 as the national mourning day unitedly irrespective of their political opinion.
‘We will urge the chief adviser [to the interim government] and the army chief to visit the grave of Bangabandhu at Tungipara on August 15,’ said Professor Abdul Mannan, a former lawmaker of AL, after the meeting.
‘We discussed about our preparations to watch the process of voters’ roll preparation and other preparations for the next general elections,’ Mannan told New Age.
Earlier, the so-called reformists also decided to include in the reform proposals the issue of formation of a national security council.

Leave a Reply