Probe into 195 Pak POWs’ role in good time

The investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal today said it will start probe against the 195 Pakistani prisoners of war (POW) whenever it will find “suitable environment” and “directive from higher authorities”.

Agency’s Coordinator Abdul Hannan Khan said they also share the same opinion that the 195 prisons of war should be tried for committing crimes during the Liberation War in 1971.

Hannan, however, said as the matter is involved with another country—Pakistan—they need to get government’ directives before starting investigation.

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Agency Co-coordinator Sanaul Huq said: “We will start investigation whenever we will get suitable environment and directives [concerned].”

He, however, said they were collecting documents regarding the 195 POWs whenever they are getting such things during investigation related to other cases.

After the independence, Bangladesh had collected specific evidence of genocide against the 195 Pakistani soldiers and they were in Indian custody as prisoners of war.

After a long-drawn stressful negotiation over the POWs, Bangladesh finally signed a tripartite agreement in Delhi in April, 1974 in which Bangladesh said “having regard to the appeal of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the people of Bangladesh to forgive and forget the mistakes of the past,” and Bangladesh decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency.

However, legal experts said there is no legal bar to try the 195 POWs and there has been a long standing demand to try them at the International Crimes Tribunal, which are now dealing the trial of Bangladeshi perpetrators who committed crimes in 1971.

The demand of 195 POWs’ trial is getting louder after Pakistan recently denied committing any war crimes in 1971.