Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged Freedom Fighters and their family members to show restraint and patience as her government has initiated scrutinizing the recently-published Razakars' list to rectify the mistakes.
“No Freedom Fighters will remain in the list of Razakars. I want to say it clearly that no Freedom Fighter will be labelled as a Razakar. It should not have happened. It is unbecoming. It will not happen anymore during the tenure of my government,” she said.
She made the remarks during her introductory speech at the meeting of the Awami League's Central Working Committee at Ganabhaban on Wednesday (Dec 18) ahead of party's the National Council slated for Dec 20-21.
She said it is a matter of regret that the Freedom Fighters, who have fought for the country, have been labelled as Razakars. “The people who got hurt should remain calm and show forgiveness”.
The premier went on saying that the names of Freedom Fighters could not be enlisted as Razakars.
"It (the recently published list) can in no way be the list of Razakars,” said the Prime Minister adding there are separate lists of Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams which had been published in the gazette.
She said confusion has been raised over the publication of the list of Razakars as the list was not properly scrutinized and even the footnotes on the list were not reviewed properly.
During the regime of Pakistan, a list of terrorists had been prepared incorporating the names of many Freedom Fighters which had been used by military dictators Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad, and even Khaleda Zia, said the prime minister.
They even filed cases against the freedom fighters terming them as terrorists, she said.
The premier said confusion has been raised between the list of terrorists prepared during the Pakistani regime and the list of Razakars.
The PM said she earlier directed the Liberation War Affairs Ministry to publish the list after a thorough scrutiny, but the ministry rushed it ahead of the Victory Day.
Once late President Zillur Rahman and incumbent President Md Abdul Hamid had been labelled as the top terrors in Kishoreganj, she said before adding later it was learnt that their names appeared as the top terrors according to a list prepared by the Pakistan government.
Hasina said she asked to omit the terror list (prepared by the Pakistan government) but it still exists.
It is a matter of regret that the names of Freedom Fighters came in the list of Razakars just before the Victory Day was celebrated amid festivity, she said adding the real culprits will face the music.
The Premier said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had initiated the trial of war criminals immediately after the independence of Bangladesh. But Ziaur Rahman stopped the trial and brought anti-liberation elements in the power.
The anti-liberation elements incorporated the names of many collaborators in the list of Freedom Fighters, she added.
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