War crimes trial must go on

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday reiterated her determination to complete the trial of war criminals, saying that none could save the culprits who committed crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
"The trial of the war criminals is going on; it will continue and its verdict will be executed, Insha'Allah," Hasina said at a views exchange meeting with the party's grassroots leaders from Chandpur district at Gono Bhaban.
At the outset of the function, the prime minister paid tribute to Shaheed Nur Hosssain, who was killed in police firing near Zero Point in Dhaka while participating in a procession against the regime of military ruler HM Ershad on November 10, 1987.
Hasina alleged that a vested quarter was out to foil the trial of war criminals. "But by the grace of almighty Allah none will be able to save them as the people have overwhelmingly extended their support to us on this issue," she said.
In this connection, Hasina, who is the Awami League president, recalled that the BNP had called a hartal on the day of the verdict in the Bangabandhu killing case in November 1998 to prevent the judges from attending the court. "But they [BNP] could not save the killers of Bangabandhu.”
The prime minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had initiated the trial of war criminals in 1973, and as part of the process, many identified war criminals were detained at that time.
But, she said, after his assassination, the BNP and its founder Ziaur Rahman had rehabilitated the war criminals. Zia also rewarded the killers of Bangabandhu by giving them jobs at Bangladesh's diplomatic missions abroad.
Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, AL presidium members Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Kazi Zafrullah and Satish Chandra Roy, General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Foreign Minister and AL Joint Secretary Dipu Moni, and Organising Secretaries AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Ahmed Hossain were also present on the occasion.
Besides, office bearers of Chandpur District unit, lawmakers of the party, administrator of Chandpur District Council, and leaders and activists of various party units, associates and like-minded bodies attended the meeting.
Highlighting her government's successes in various fields, including agriculture, education, health, foreign policy, law and order, employment and power generation, the prime minister said her government's biggest achievement had been in containing militancy and terrorism.
She said the BNP-Jamaat alliance government had unleashed a reign of terror by killing and torturing opposition leaders and activists and nurturing terrorists and militants.
The BNP-Jamaat alliance also patronised bribery and corruption massively. "They siphoned off money abroad when at home people were not getting food," she said.
The prime minister called upon the people to work together so that the country did not slip back into darkness.