Collaborators’ list draws widespread criticism

The liberation war affairs ministry’s list of Pakistani collaborators during the war of independence drew widespread criticism from across the country on Tuesday as names of many freedom fighters and war organisers were wrongly included in the list.

Home minister, attorney general, chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal and relatives of some freedom fighters at separate programmes across the country on Tuesday sharply criticised the ministry for defaming over 50 recognised freedom fighters or organisers of the war by including their names on the list of collaborators.

Many aggrieved freedom fighters and their relatives at places burnt copies of the list published by the ministry on the eve of 49th Victory Day on Sunday and demanded its immediate abolition.  

They also said that they were thinking for taking legal action against the ministry for tarnishing their images before the nation.

Many organisations also condemned the list sending press release on Tuesday while many others sharply criticised the government on social media.

Liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Huq regretted the mistakes and said that names of the freedom fighters and organisers would be omitted from the list if they or their family members had applied.

A partial list of 10,789 collaborators was published on the ministry’s website under different categories as collaborators of Pakistani force as per information provided by the home ministry.

The names were classified as collaborators of Pakistani forces, peace committee members, accused of war crimes who faced trials after the war, members of auxiliary forces like al-Badr and al-Shams, government officials and professionals who aided Pakistani forces, politicians who helped Pakistani regime and others.

Seeing his name on the list, the chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Ghulam Arieff Tipoo at a press conference at his office in Dhaka on Tuesday demanded taking legal action against the officials who prepared the list.

Tipoo, a language movement veteran who was conferred on the Ekushe Padak this year, said, ‘It’s really shocking. Those who prepared the list are ant-liberation forces and must be prosecuted.’

On his behalf, a prosecutor of the tribunal Sultan Mahmud at the press conference said that the officials  who made the list made the tribunal controversial. ‘We are thinking of taking legal action against them,’ he said. 

Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal burnt copies of the list of the collaborators in front of the Ashwani Kumar Hall in Barsishal on Tuesday.

Attending the programme, freedom fighter Tapan Kumar Chakraborty, whose name was included on the list as a collaborator, said, ‘It was better I had died before watching this. I took training in India and participated in war in different areas in Satkhira, Khuna and Barishal as a freedom fighter. I also get benefits as a freedom fighter.’

Tapan said that his father Sudhir Kumar Chakraborty was brutally killed by the Pakistani occupational forces and got recognition as a martyr by the state after independence.

Tapan’s daughter and also BSD’s district unit member secretary Manisha Chakrobarty at the programme said that the ruling party being politically motivated included names of her father and grandmother on the list.

‘How could the ministry publish name of my father and grandmother as Pakistani collaborators who were getting benefits as freedom fighter and widow of a martyr? The officials behind it must be identified and punished,’ Manisha said.

The ministry must cancel the list immediately, she demanded. ‘We are also thinking of taking legal action against the ministry,’ she said.

A unit commander of the freedom fighters of Barishal sadar Mukhlesur Rahman said that they would continue protest programmes unless the government cancels it.

‘Even the name of a relative of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Abdul Hai Serniabad had been included on the list of collaborators,’ he said.

From a demonstration in Jhalakathi, relatives and neighbours of the late freedom fighter Shamsul Alam, the district commander of Muktijoddha Council of Jhalakathi, protested at the list published on Sunday.

‘It’s really painful to see his name on the list of collaborators. He was a valiant freedom fighter and was elected four times district commander after the independence,’ Shamsul’s son Zakaria Alam said.

Awami League leaders and relatives of the late Mujibul Haq expressed surprise seeing the name of the founding president of the Patharghata Muktijoddha Sangram Parishad Mujibul Haq on the list of the collaborators.

‘Including his name in the list of collaborators tarnished the image of Awami League. He continued to lead Awami League even after the death of Bangabandhu,’ Patharghata upazila Awami League general secretary Zaber Hossain said.

The freedom fighters in Bogura from a reception programme demanded immediate correction of the list of the collaborators.

In the Victory Day celebration programme held in Bogura on Monday, local freedom fighters and Awami League leaders protested at publishing a list of Pakistani collaborators including names of seven valiant freedom fighters of district.

‘It’s really surprising to see names of the former member of legislative assembly Mojibur Rahman of Akkelpur, Awami League nominated member of the parliament Kasim Uddin  and several other organisers of the war on the list,’ said Adamdighi Upazila Awami League president and also a upazila chairman Sirajul Islam Khan.

Freedom fighters, politicians and journalists in Rajshahi demanded punishment of the officials who included some freedom fighters and organisers of the war like Ghulam Arieff Tipoo, lawyers Abdus Salam and Muhsin Ali as collaborators.

‘They were the guardians during the liberation war in 1971’, said Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Rajshahi unit president Abdul Mannan.

Ullapara unit Muktijoddha commander and also a local Awami League leader Golam Mostafa told the correspondent in Sirajganj that they would organise protest programme in the district for including names of freedom fighters like Mirza Abdul Latif and Khurshid Alam on the list of the freedom fighters.

Faraz Karim Chowdhury, the grandson of Fazlul Kabir Chowdhury of Chattogram in his facebook post on Monday asked, ‘If Fazlul Kabir Chowdhury was a Razakar then the pro-liberation government had arranged security for a Razakar?’

Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a programme in Dhaka branded the list a politically motivated one. ‘It does not include names of many infamous war criminals but contains names of some BNP leaders,’ he said.

Awami League advisory council member Tofail Ahmed told New Age that he was really surprised seeing names of organisers of the war of independence on the list of Pakistani collaborators.

‘MLA Mojibur Rahman (Akkelpur), who was elected from Joypurhat in 1970 general election, helped me to cross the border on April 4. Freedom fighter Tapan Chakrobarty is my friend and his father was a martyr of the war. Mujibul Haque of Barguna was a close friend of Bangabandhu. How could they be collaborators? The ministry should have more careful before publishing the list,’ Tofail said.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam at his office on Tuesday also told the press that the ministry should have cross-checked the list provided to them by home ministry before publishing it.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Tuesday at a programme organised by Krishak League said ‘The liberation war affairs ministry didn’t scrutinise the list before publishing it as there were notes stating some accused had been acquitted following trials.’

The Liberation war affairs minister, who on Sunday said that the ministry would publish names only after becoming hundred per cent confirm, on Tuesday said that the ministry would investigate and take necessary corrective measures.

‘We did not make the list but got it from the home ministry. It was not even possible to identify all names that did not have detailed information for scrutinising,’ he said.

The minister said that the list would be withdrawn from the website they received complaints on 10 per cent of the published list.

‘But, no action would be taken based on the list,’ he said.

The minister also said that the ministry would cross-check from different sources before publishing any such list next time.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net