Try war criminals through special commission

Bangladesh Muktijoddha Gono Parishad yesterday urged the caretaker government and the armed forces to form a special commission for bringing the war criminals of the Liberation War to justice.
Meanwhile, condemnations from various organisations continued to pour in yesterday from across the country over Shah Abdul Hannan and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed's derogatory remarks made about the Liberation War of the nation.
The Parishad leaders at a press conference urged the government to declare Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and others, who have been making statements against the Liberation War, seditious and put them on trial.
The Parishad said that it would organise a convention of freedom fighters in the capital on December 3 to press home their demand of bringing the anti-liberation war forces to trial.
Muktijoddha Gono Parishad leaders said it is high time to bring the war criminals to justice and resolve the issue once and for all.
"The special commission may be comprised of three retired chief justices, three freedom fighters who were general officers of the armed forces and have retired, three freedom fighters and three eminent international lawyers," Maj Gen (retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Bir Protik, member of the advisory committee of Muktijoddha Gono Parishad, told the press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city.
Gen Ibrahim said, "If the present government does not form the special commission, we will assume that someone inside the government is misguiding it."
Gen Ibrahim urged the High Court to consider Jamaat leaders' recent statements on the Liberation War as violation of the constitution and to issue a suo moto rule against them.
"They [anti-liberation elements] must be tried... there might come a time when they would deny our Liberation War and demand our trial, accusing us of splitting Pakistan," Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said.
"Our ultimate goal is to bring them to justice because they were against our Liberation War," said the Liberation War veteran.
Sadeque Ahmed Khan, secretary general of Muktijoddha Gono Parishad, said, "The whole nation is going to be united on the issue of trial of the anti-liberation war elements."
Language movement veteran Abdul Matin said, "Now Jamaat leaders are talking against our Liberation War, a time will come when they will dare to say that there was no Liberation War in 1971."
"They [war criminals] are the enemy of our country and should be brought to justice right now," he added.
Meanwhile, Freedom Fighters Rehabilitation and Recreation Centre in a press release yesterday said they would host a joint press conference with seven other freedom fighters' organisations at 11:00am, October 31 at the centre where freedom fighters will provide evidence of the crimes committed by the war criminals in 1971.
Various organisations continued to blast former Islami Bank chairman Shah Abdul Hannan for his comments made on a private television channel talk show and demanded his immediate arrest and exemplary punishment. They said his remarks were evil-intentioned and extremely arrogant.
On Friday, speaking on the talk show, Hannan, also a former secretary and a well-known Jamaat sympathiser, played down the Liberation War of 1971 and termed the period "civil war". Moreover, he claimed that no genocide took place in the country during that period and no war criminal lives here either.
They also condemned the comments made by Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed as he claimed that his party did not act against the country's independence and denied outright the existence of any war criminals here.
In a statement, Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad central command council leaders yesterday said calling the Liberation War of 1971 a civil war is tantamount to sedition as the comment went against the spirit of Liberation War.
Shah Abdul Hannan through his remark has denied the Liberation War, said the council leaders adding that he also violated the constitution of the country with such remark. The government should, therefore, immediately file a sedition case against him.
Condemning the remark, National Democratic Party (NDP) yesterday said Hannan's remark is untrue and extreme distortion of history.
Terming the comment ill-disposed and insolent, they said those who term the Liberation War a civil war are either insane or retarded.
Gono Odhikar O Sangbidhan Sangrakkhan Kendra said the arrogant remarks of Hannan went against the Liberation War, independence and sovereignty of the country.
In a statement, they demanded immediate arrest and trial of Hannan by filing sedition charges against him.
They also condemned Mojaheed's remarks and demanded arrest and trial of all war criminals.
Muktijoddha Oikya Parishad, Bangladesh Chhatra Moitri and Jatiya Samajtantrik Sramik Jote also condemned Mojaheed's remarks.
They demanded arrest and trail of the war criminals and Jamaat leaders who are known collaborators of the genocide in 1971 and banning of politics based on religion and fundamentalism.
Our Correspondent from Khulna adds: Khulna district Awami League President Sheikh Harun-ar-Rashid and its city unit President Talukder Abdul Khaleque demanded immediate arrest of war criminals and their trial.
They, also valiant freedom fighters, said Nizami (Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami) in collaboration with occupying Pakistan army committed genocide during the war of liberation.
They demanded formation of a special tribunal to try the war criminals and requested the Chief Election Commissioner not to allow Jamaat to participate in the next election as the party leaders are distorting the history of the Liberation War.
Jatiya Party leader Advocate Badar Ali and Khulna Shishu Foundation Secretary General Sheikh Abdul Qayyum also demanded the trial of war criminals for the safeguarding of national independence and sovereignty.