Present facts of Bangladesh genocide before global community
Shahriar Alam urges researchers, scholars
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam today called upon genocide scholars, researchers, civil society organisations, human rights activists, print and electronic media to present before the global community the facts and figure of Bangladesh genocide.
It is the moral obligation on the states and international community to show due respect to the victims of Bangladesh genocide and thus demonstrate their commitment towards the promotion and protection of human rights, he said.
Bangladesh Genocide was hardly discussed and the victims were hardly remembered since 1975 till the Awami League formed the government in 1996, said the state minister while speaking at a programme marking the Bangladesh Genocide Day at the Liberation War Museum.
"Rather deliberate attempts were made to distort the facts and figure of Bangladesh genocide during that period," he said.
After the brutal killing of Bangabandhu on 15 August 1975, the state minister said, a dramatic change appeared to take place in official policy towards the issue of the 1971 genocide under the military government.
The Collaborators Act 1972 was repealed, all those leading war criminal-suspects who had fled the country and lost citizenship rights, were invited to return, he said, adding that many of the war criminals were rehabilitated into the mainstream politics and were offered to enjoy state power.
The state minister said around 32 years of 52 years since independence, the government was led by pro-Pakistani forces.
"I can assure everyone today that the government under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would continue its sincere efforts to achieve recognition of 1971 genocide in Bangladesh," Alam said.
In view of the then domestic and international context, he said, Bangabandhu declared limited amnesty for the local collaborators in December 1973.
However, the amnesty did not cover "anyone who killed people, raped and set fire or caused to damage people's homestead with explosives or convicted for damaging water-transport".
Later, the war criminals and their sympathisers tried to misguide people with distorted facts that Bangabandhu pardoned all, Alam said.