The government has released a list of 10,789 Razakars, the Bengalis who collaborated with the Pakistani army during the War of Independence in 1971.

Liberation War Affairs minister AKM Mozammel Huq published the list during a media call on Sunday (Dec 15) at his offices.

The ministry published this partial list that includes names of Pak collaborators in the first phase while a list of other anti-liberation forces will be released in phases later. The list released on Sunday will be available at the Liberation War affairs ministry's website. 

Minister Huq said: “Efforts were also underway to collect lists made by the record rooms of different districts and the BG Press; these will be assessed and released.”

A first draft of the freedom fighters has been published also and a complete list will be out on Mar 26.

As per some records, the number of freedom fighters is 333,856; at present 201,461 are getting freedom fighters’ stipend, said the minister.

Regarding the list of collaborators, the minister, said: “Publishing a list of Razakars and lodging cases against them are not the same thing; I made a promise to the nation that I would bring to the open a list of collaborators and we have begun that journey.”

Whether this will be printed as a gazette is a matter for the government to decide because, for that, cabinet approval will be needed, he added.

The names of former president Abdur Rahman Biswas and former prime minister Shah Azizur Rahman are not in the list because they were higher level collaborators than common Razakars and Al-Shams.

The minister observed: “During the war, two types of people were in the Cantonment: the ones who were detained and then the others, who lived there for security and peace. Khaleda Zia belongs to the latter.”

The government wants to ensure that no innocent person is wrongfully accused, even if that means that ten guilty persons will go free, stated the minister.