Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the trial of war criminals involved in genocide, killing of intellectuals and opposing the independence of the country must continue, reports UNB.
“No one will be able to save them [war criminals]. Whatever the tactics and conspiracy they devise, the trial will go on,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing a discussion at Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh. Awami League organised the discussion on the occasion of the Martyred Intellectuals Day.
She said putting under trial the war criminals, who had guided the Pakistani occupational forces to the grassroots level of the country and kidnapped the intellectuals just on the eve of the victory, is the only path to justice. “Truth and just always win, and will be the same in the future.”
Sheikh Hasina said it was very much unfortunate that the people of the country have to see that the war criminals were allowed to enjoy state power and fly the national flag in their vehicles. “The flag that we earned in exchange of millions of lives were hoisted in the vehicles of war criminals disgracing the national flag.”
The Prime Minister said those who have done such heinous acts will have to face the trial like the war criminals. “I think the time has come, the people will have to be vocal. Those who nourished the war criminals, gave them the political rights in the country gave them flag, are the same criminals. They didn’t want the country’s independence and they also do not like development of the country.” she said.
Hasina went on saying, “I always have the courage to face any sort of adverse situation, and my courage and power is the people of this country and the activists of AL and its associate organisations. The soldiers of Mujib ideal are the main strength of mine.”
The Prime Minister mentioned that the trial of the war criminals of the World War II is still going on. Terming the day of the assassination of the Father of the Nation as black day for the nation, Hasina said the darkness cloud have spread over the nation after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s assassination. “Now that darkness has gone away, and we hope such dark cloud will never cast the sky of this nation again.”
Taking a fresh vow to establish Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country, the Prime Minister said her government wants to further brighten its image. She said Bangladesh is advancing fast and earning appreciation from all as her government is working as per a plan.
“Bangladesh earned honour and reputation after the victory in the Liberation War. But that honor and recognition were tarnished after the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975. But after Awami League came to power, Bangladesh is regaining that lost glory. We’ll have to uphold that pride.”
Seeking cooperation of all in building a hunger- and poverty-free Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said, “We’ll move forward by keeping our heads high. We have learnt from those who made sacrifices that we would march forward making sacrifices…we’ll never bow down and surrender.”
Eminent journalist, columnist and poet Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, son of Sirajuddin Hossain Shaheen Reza Noor and daughter of Dr Alim Chowdhury Nuzhat Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.
At the beginning of the discussion, a one-minute silence was observed as a mark of profound respect to the memories of the martyred intellectuals as well as Bangabandhu, four national leaders and the martyred freedom fighters.
Meanwhile, the nation observed the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day yesterday paying rich tributes to the intellectuals who were killed systematically by the Pakistan occupation army and their local collaborators at the fag-end of the country’s Liberation War in 1971. Sensing an imminent defeat, the Pakistani occupation army and their local collaborators carried out the cold-blooded mass murders under a carefully thought-out plan to intellectually cripple emerging Bangladesh.
Renowned academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, teachers and other eminent personalities were dragged out of their homes, blindfolded, and taken to unknown places and then brutally tortured and slaughtered. Most of the killings took place on December 14, 1971.
Their bodies were later dumped at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and some other killing fields in the capital. The martyred intellectuals include Prof Muneir Chowdhury, Dr Alim Chowdhury, Prof Muniruzzaman, Dr Fazle Rabbi, Sirajuddin Hossain, Shahidullah Kaiser, Prof GC Dev, JC Guha Thakurta, Prof Santosh Bhattacharya, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (Ladu Bhai), ANM Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina Parvin.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid profound tributes to the martyred intellectuals by placing wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals’ Mausoleum at Mirpur in the capital.
People from all walks of life also placed wreaths at the mausoleum.
The Prime Minister also placed a wreath at the portrait of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi, marking the day.
BNP paid homage to the martyred intellectuals, led by party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in the morning. It also kept the national flag at half-mast and hoisted black flags atop all its offices.
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Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.