Law
week
Govt to reconstitute CHT Land Commission soon
The present caretaker government will soon reconstitute the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Land Commission to settle the longstanding land disputes between indigenous communities and settlers in the region. Food and Disaster Management Adviser AMM Shawkat Ali yesterday said at a roundtable titled "Land Disputes in Chittagong Hill Tracts: Ways to settling the issue". The government will appoint a new chairman to the Land Commission and is also planning to appoint two fulltime members to facilitate the works of the commission, he said. "The present government will finish reorganising the Land Commission so that the next government can take it forward," the adviser said during the roundtable organised by eminent citizens at the city's WVA Auditorium.
Educationist Prof Zillur Rahman Siddiqui chaired the event and Prof Ajoy Roy presented the keynote paper. Asked how the government will reorganise the commission, he said they will start reorganising the commission and the land ministry would finally work on the matter. If the commission is reconstituted in the true sense, the longstanding problem would be settled, he said. Shawkat said that they are yet to decide whether there would be one commission for the community of indigenous people in CHT region and indigenous people on plain lands or two commissions, one for each community.
Special guest of the roundtable Chakma Raja Debashis Roy, also a special assistant to the chief adviser, said no governments, including the present one, has any cohesive policy regarding CHT affairs. Neither the government nor its ministries have any policy to reorganise settlements in CHT areas, he said. Economist Prof Abul Barakat held previous governments responsible for patronising land grabbers. He said no government took any initiative to recognise the indigenous communities. He said 30 years ago 75 percent of the people in CHT areas were indigenous people but currently the percentage stands at 47, complicating the issue. He said political will is required to settle the land disputes. He suggested that the government rehabilitate the Bangla speaking settlers on government lands outside CHT areas. .--The Daily Star, April 01, 2008.
Bigwigs' trials linger for slow investigation
Trials of many corruption and extortion cases filed against detained political bigwigs could not be started in about a year as their investigations have been lingering. Cases filed against the interned political leaders were brought under the emergency power rules (EPR) for quick adjudication, by curtailing the rights to seek bail, but the snail pace of investigation has been delaying submission of charge sheets, which is a prerequisite for trials. The highest number of cases was filed against Tarique Rahman, the man who had allegedly been at the centre of the rampant corruption that had permeated every sphere of the society in the five years of the immediate past regime of BNP-Jamaat led four-party alliance government. Although he reportedly controlled every aspect of the state and the government ranging from the civil administration to political agenda, from BNP's political office Hawa Bhaban in the capital, he is yet to face trial in any of the cases, despite being detained for over a year now. In defence of the delay in submitting charge sheets in the cases, investigation officers of a number of cases said they are overloaded with work while suffering from an acute shortage of manpower and logistics. --The Daily Star, April 02, 2008.
List of 1,597 war criminals released
War Crimes Facts Finding Committee (WCFFC), a research organisation, yesterday unveiled a list of 1,597 war criminals responsible for the mass killings, rapes and other atrocities during the Liberation War. Of those on the list, 369 are members of Pakistan military, 1,150 are their local collaborators including members of Razakar and Al Badr [forces formed to aid the occupation army] and Peace Committee, and 78 are Biharis. Publishing the list at a press conference the fact-finding committee said this is not the final list, and they would soon come up with another one with more evidence and documents.
The list and evidence would be handed to the government and Election Commission to help them try the war criminals and disqualify them from elections. Besides, those would be circulated to the international community.
Four women who were tortured by the Pakistan forces were present at the programme.
Local collaborators who are on the list and still alive mostly belong to Jamaat-e-Islami. Some of them who were then involved in Muslim League and Nezame Islam politics are now leaders of BNP and Jatiya Party."We have drawn up the list on the basis of field-level investigation, statements of eyewitnesses and victims, and examination of relevant documents for 17 long years," said Dr MA Hasan, convener of the committee dedicated to research on acts of genocide and atrocities committed in 1971.--The Daily Star, April 04, 2008.
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