Govt to examine viability of trying 195 Pak officers

Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said the government would examine the April 1974 tripartite agreement to determine whether Bangladesh can try the 195 Pakistani officers it freed under the agreement.
“Now we have to examine whether the 195 Pakistanis can be tried after execution of the Simla agreement,” he told journalists after attending as chief guest a meeting in the capital's Judicial Administration Training Institute.
The meeting was organised marking the inauguration of the 120th training course of district and sessions judges and officials of the same rank. A total of 39 judicial officials are attending the 11-day training course.
Anisul said he learnt that the International Crimes Tribunals, which were fully independent, had taken an initiative for trying the identified Pakistani prisoners of war.
He said people responsible for attacking minority communities can be tried at special tribunals formed under the Special Powers Act 1974 for quickly ensuring exemplary punishment.
Anisul said around 24 lakh cases were pending with the lower courts and reducing the backlog of cases was a challenge for the judges. He urged judges to ensure justice quickly for the litigants at minimum cost through solving the complicated issues of law.