It can’t be a Razakars’ list

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said no freedom fighter would ever be labelled as a Razakar during her tenure.

“I want to say unequivocally that no freedom fighter will be labelled as Razakar. It won’t happen...it’s impossible...it won’t occur at least during my tenure,” she said adding that the list of Razakars will be scrutinised further.

The prime minister said this while delivering her opening speech at the meeting of Bangladesh Awami League Central Working Committee at her official residence Gono Bhaban.

Sheikh Hasina urged the aggrieved families of freedom fighters to see the matter with compassion and forgiveness.

“I would like to tell those who got hurt to be calm and see the matter with forgiveness...they [freedom fighters] can never be in the list of Razakars...they can rest assured,” she said.

The prime minister said confusion was created as the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs published the list on the website without scrutinising it.

Hasina said she earlier directed the Liberation War Ministry to publish the list following proper scrutiny, but the ministry did it in hurriedly ahead of the Victory Day.

“It [the list] is no way the list of Razakars,” she said, adding that there were separate lists of Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams that had been published in the gazettes.

She said a list of terrors had been prepared during the Pakistan period where the names of freedom fighters were incorporated.

Following the August 15 massacre, military dictators Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad, and even Khaleda Zia used the list.

“There has been confusion between the list of terrors and the list of Razakars. Hadn’t Ziaur Rahman, Ershad or Khaleda Zia used the list, the problem would not have appeared,” said the prime minister.