Razakar list: Legal notice seeks unconditional apology from minister

A Supreme Court lawyer today sent a legal notice to the Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and its secretary requesting them to offer an unconditional apology to the nation within 24 hours for including the names of freedom fighters in the list of Razakars.

Advocate SM Zulfiqure Ali served the legal notice saying that appropriate legal action will be taken against the minister and secretary for violating the constitution and assassinating the character of freedom fighters if they do not tender their unconditional apology.

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Outrageous BLUNDER

Zulfiqure Ali said in the legal notice that it has been alleged that the names of freedom fighters who had directly participated the Liberation War and fought against Pakistani occupation force, have been included in the list of Razakars.

Even the names of some members of martyrs' families have been included in the Razakar list although the names of identified Razakars have not been included in it.

Therefore, the freedom fighters have been hurt and dishonoured which is a shame for the country and the nation.

The Liberation War Affairs minister has committed a punishable offence like treason which is contradictory to the constitution in the legal notice.

Amid nationwide outrage and angry protests, the Liberation War affairs ministry yesterday suspended the controversial and flawed Razakars’ list three days after its publication. 

The decision came hours after Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed the ministries concerned to “correct the list” by dropping the names of freedom fighters from it.

Many freedom fighters were utterly shocked to see their names on the list of Razakars who collaborated with the Pakistan occupation army in carrying out mass killings and atrocities against the Bangalees during the 1971 Liberation War. 

The government on Sunday published the names of 10,789 Razakars, Al-Badrs, Al-Shams and anti-liberation elements who collaborated with the Pakistan occupation army in 1971.

At a press briefing that day, Mozammel said the list was based on records preserved at the home ministry, and that it was the first of the phases in which the government will make public the names of Razakars.

Astonishingly, the names of a number of freedom fighters and pro-liberation people were found in the list.

It even carried the names of freedom fighter Ghulam Arieff Tipoo, chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, and freedom fighter Mirza Abdul Latif, who led a group of 500 freedom fighters in the country’s northern region in 1971. 

In the face of nationwide outrage and angry protests, Mozammel said they just published the Razakars’ list provided by the home ministry without any modification.

On Tuesday, Mozammel and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan traded blame over preparation of the list.