JAN 11 CHANGEOVER : MPs for probe commission

Lawmakers of the ruling Awami League and its coalition partners on Sunday demanded that a commission should be formed to investigate the January
11, 2007 political changeover and the actors of the behind the changeover should be tried.
Taking part in the discussion on the president’s speech in parliament, they also underscored
the need for forming a commission to unmask the masterminds behind the torture of politicians during the 2007-08 emergency regime.
‘A commission should be constituted to unveil the history and to unmask the culprits of January 11 political changeover and they should be tried,’ health minister Mohammad Nasim said.
He said that no development of the country could be thought of sans politicians, but politicians were stigmatised during the emergency period.
Nasim said that The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam’s admission that he had made mistake during the emergency regime was not enough as politicians had landed in jail for their [Mahfuz] fault.
Civil aviation and tourism minister Rashed Khan Menon, who led the parliamentary sub-committee to probe incidents of army repression against the teachers and students of Dhaka University during the emergency regime, expressed dissatisfaction as the sub-committee’s recommendations were ye to be implemented.
Menon, also the Workers Party of Bangladesh president, suggested constitution of a commission with a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate all the incidents particularly the move for depoliticisation during the emergency regime.
He accused the Election Commission of not taking appropriate steps to ensure free and fair local government polls.
The commission took no initiative to investigate into the complaints field with it, Menon said.
Information minister Hasanul Huq Inu, also the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction president, said that there was no lack of democracy in the country but there was danger of democracy.
‘Criticising editors does not mean that freedom of expression is hampered,’ he added.
Awami League lawmaker AFM Bahaudding Nasim said that those who were behind the military-backed interim regime should be brought to justice so that none might dare to commit such an incident in the country in future.
‘If politicians commit mistake they land in jail and others just say sorry and get immunity for their mistakes,’ he added.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net