Bangladesh News

Pro-liberation war political, professional, and other social forces are gearing up to intensify the ongoing movement to force the interim government to begin the process of putting war criminals on trial by March 26, Independence Day.

To that end a process is on in full swing for bringing all pro-liberation war forces to a common platform, in an effort to get enough wind in the sail of the movement early next year, as around 70 political, professional, and other social organisations already extended their support for it.

They also promised to continue the movement, launched by the forum of sector commanders in liberation war, until the trials are ensured.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday former air vice-marshal AK Khandaker, also deputy chief of the liberation war forces, said their target is to realise the demand by March next year. “We will continue the movement if the government does not begin the trials of war criminals by that time,” he said.

Political parties intending to contest in the next parliamentary election, except Jamaat and a few others known as anti-liberation forces, also announced that they will include the issue of putting war criminals on trial in their election manifestos promising to try them if voted to power, in case the caretaker government does not do so.

If everything goes according to the plan, the demand for putting war criminals on trial is likely to gain momentum early next year, said the trial seekers.

If the state of emergency is relaxed or lifted ahead of the next parliamentary polls, demonstrations like rallies and marches agitating for the demand will be arranged, said organisers and supporters of the movement.

“We want to see by March 26 a beginning of the process of putting the war criminals on trial. We will extend all out cooperation to the movement to realise the demand,” Acting General Secretary of Awami League (AL) Syed Ashraful Islam told The Daily Star yesterday.

He said the next meeting of AL central working committee will discuss the logistics of intensifying the ongoing movement across the country. Senior leaders of the party held discussions with the sector commanders regarding shifting the agitation into a higher gear, he said.

In a bid to make the movement stronger, the sector commanders’ forum will sit on December 29 with a number of organisations of freedom fighters to discuss the logistics of launching a countrywide campaign for putting the war criminals on trial.

The forum already initiated measures to establish its network at district and upazila levels to heighten the intensity of the movement, since the caretaker government still remains rigid on its stance of not initiating any process of putting the war criminals on trial.

Lt Gen (retd) Harun-ar-Rashid, coordinator of the sector commanders’ forum, said their organisation will also sit with leaders of supportive political parties to chalk out a strategy for intensifying the movement and to press them to include the issue of putting war criminals on trial in their election manifestos.

“We are also planning to hold a grand rally of freedom fighters by March 26,” Harun told The Daily Star.

Leaders of all pro-liberation war forces will gather at the grand rally which will pronounce directives for continuing the movement until the demand is met, sources said.

Almost all the pro-liberation forces already announced that they will not only continue supporting the movement, but also actively participate in it.

“War criminals exist in the country and the matter should be resolved by putting them on trial,” Anisul Islam Mahmud, acting chief of Jatiya Party said adding, “Jatiya Party’s election manifesto will include the issue of trying war criminals.”

Echoing him, Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said his party will actively participate in the movement.

Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, however is hopeful that the present government will meet the growing public demand for trying the war criminals. “We will continue the movement if the government does not take any initiative to try the war criminals,” Selim said.

Maj Gen (retd) Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, chief of newly formed Bangladesh Welfare Party, said the government should begin the process of putting the war criminals on trial immediately.

Political observers believe the movement is set to gain momentum once again, which had originally started in 1992 responding to the clarion call of late Jahanara Imam, mother of martyred freedom fighter Shafi Imam Rumi.

Back then, the erstwhile BNP government did not respond favourably to the demand for trying the war criminals, instead in its zealous opposition to the demand it went as far as filing sedition charges against the organisers of the peoples tribunal that had been set up by the movement to try the war criminals.

Although AL had extended its wholehearted support for the movement at the time, soon after coming to power following its victory in the 1996 parliamentary polls, it however seemed to suffer from a strange amnesia regarding the matter.

This time around, the sector commanders want public assurances from the political parties that they will try the war criminals, if voted to power, the sources added.

According to BNP insiders, their party is currently not opposing the demand openly, and leaders of the party have also been demanding trials of the war criminals seemingly in an effort to keep up with the popular sentiment. But the party is still in a dilemma regarding whether to break up its tie with Jamaat-e-Islami, the most prominent anti-liberation organisation, which is also the most important partner of BNP in four-party alliance that was the last ruling alliance in the country. But if it continues to keep supporting the movement for trials of war criminals, the question of severing its ties with Jamaat is bound to come to the forefront sometime or the other.

Asked about the party’s position on trying the war criminals, BNP Standing Committee Member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman told The Daily Star that there is no way to stand against the demand, which will obviously gain momentum in the coming days.

“We also want trials of war criminals. It will be good if the present government can start the process,” Mahbub said.

Asked whether his party, if voted to power, will try the war criminals, Mahbub said hopes and aspirations of the people are for trying the war criminals. “We will of course meet the people’s hopes and aspirations, if we are voted to power,” he asserted.

Almost all of the political parties, who participated in the electoral reform talks with the EC between September and early December this year, strongly demanded that the EC should not allow anti-liberation forces including Jamaat-e-Islami to get registered as political parties with the commission, and it should bar war criminals from contesting in elections.

The political parties also refused to sit with Jamaat in a common meeting with the EC, terming Jamaat as an anti-liberation force which had worked against the birth of Bangladesh.

The EC held electoral reform talks with 15 political parties that meet the commission proposed criteria for being eligible to be registered with it as political parties. Jamaat was among the 15.

Most of the pro-liberation forces have started boycotting state events where war criminals including Jamaat and its leaders are invited, regardless of the occasions, in an effort to socially isolate the war criminals.

They already boycotted presidential receptions at Bangabhaban on Victory Day and on Eid-ul-Azha protesting President Iajuddin Ahmed’s invitation to known war criminals.