Quarters at home, abroad trying to block war crimes trial: Ashraf
Staff Correspondent
New Age 20/8/09
The ruling Awami League general secretary, Syed Ashraful Islam, on Wednesday conceded that the government was facing obstacles – both from forces at home and abroad – to its initiatives to put the war criminals on trial but stopped short of naming the quarters.
‘We are aware that some quarters at home and abroad are trying to block trial of the war criminals but I do not want to disclose their names at the moment…We are trying to overcome the barrier,’ he said at a discussion at the National Press Club.
Sampradaikata, Jangibad Birodhi Mancha organised the discussion on ‘Militancy and present
Ashraf, also the LGRD and cooperatives minister, said the government would be able to overcome the obstacle when there was a consensus among the countrymen over the issue. Ashraf urged the pro-liberation political parties, young generation, different organisations and professional bodies, media, civil society and people from all walks of life to mobilise public opinion for trial of the war criminals.
Reiterating the government’s stand on the issue, the
Ashraf said the government had no alternative to holding war crimes trial and that the first session of the ninth parliament had passed a resolution paving the way for trial of those who had been involved in various war crimes during the war of independence in 1971. ‘The people also gave their mandate for trial of the war criminals in the December 29 parliamentary polls,’ he said.
‘The government is trying to mobilise opinion both at home and abroad in favour of holding war crimes trial but only the government’s initiatives are not enough in this regard and all will have to come forward in support of the initiatives,’ he said.
‘Trial of the war criminals is not the government’s own demand, it is the demand of every man of conscience…’
Ashraf said the Sector Commanders’ Forum, an organisation of the sector commanders of the 1971 war of independence, had mounted a campaign over the issue before the elections but now they were silent. He urged the forum to resume their activities.
He also called on Sampradaikata o Jangibad Birodhi Mancha to organise discussions in every district to mobilize public opinion in this regard.
The discussion was also addressed by Dhaka city AL general secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, AL’s health and population affairs secretary Badiuzzaman Bhuiyan, Gana Forum leader Pankaj Bhattachariya, Workers Party leader Bimal Biswas, Bangladesh Economics Association general secretary Abul Barakat, Dhaka University professor Syed Anwar Hossain, Swechchhasebak League leader Pankaj Devnath, rights activist Rokeya Kabir, retired major general Amin Ahmed Chowdhury and Dhaka Reporters Unity general secretary Pathik Shah.
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