The article entitled, "Don't try to save war criminals,” in the Oct 7th of The Daily Star has drawn my attention. As an expatriate Bangladeshi, I would like to express my feeling and put forward our demand for trial of war criminals.
It was the present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who urged the opposition leader Khaleda Zia not to try to save the war criminals. It appears to be a great shame for the whole nation that after four decades of our independence, we have not yet been able to try the war criminals. The grand alliance under the leadership of the Awami League got the people's mandate to hold the trial of the war criminals through the landslide victory in the general election of 2008.
One, who really loves the motherland, loves the mother tongue, witnessed the horror and genocide of 1971, has feeling for the martyrs and the abused mothers and sisters, can never stand against the trial of war criminals. A recent opinion poll, carried out by The Daily Star, revealed that 88% of the people want the trial. The issue has already got momentum among the politicians and civil society members of the European countries and also other parts of the world. The trial issue has already obtained international support. The vast majority of the expatriate Bengalis support the trial of war criminals.
The trial of war criminals is essential for the reasons as mentioned below:
1. To save the history of our national independence from decomposition.
2. To counter repeated attacks from the anti- Liberation forces.
3. To counter religious extremism.
4. To enable our new generations two learn the real history.
If Khaleda Zia does not change her mind towards implementation of the trial of war criminals, it will indicate that she and her party have sided with war criminals. The common people also expect that BNP will not be a troublemaker in the process of holding the trial of war criminals.