Thursday, December 12, 2024

JS unanimously okays war crimes trial move

Hasina terms it a national demand
Staff Correspondent
Parliament on Thursday night approved unanimously, in the absence of the opposition lawmakers, a resolution seeking speedy prosecution of the 1971 war criminals.
‘The resolution seeking trial of the war criminals has been approved unanimously,’ pronounced the speaker, Abdul Hamid, after the house voted ‘yes’ to the proposal moved by Mahmud us Samad Chowdhury, a ruling Awami League lawmaker for Sylhet 3 constituency.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and a number of senior ruling party lawmakers termed the private members’ proposal very important saying that trial of the war criminals had become a national demand and that it was also an election pledge of the AL.
Lawmakers of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance remained absent from the house for the second consecutive day Thursday over a seating arrangement dispute.
The minister in charge of liberation war affairs, ABM Tajul Islam, however, requested Mahmud us Samad Chowdhury, who piloted the proposal, to withdraw it citing that the government had already initiated the process for trial of the war criminals.
But the house, attended by the lawmakers of the ruling Awami League and its allies Jatiya Party, Workers Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and an independent lawmaker, opposed the idea of withdrawing the proposal.
Rising to his feet, lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta said that the cabinet of prime minister Sheikh Hasina had already decided to try the war criminals.
When the process has already begun, it will be unnecessary to withdraw the proposal. ‘There is no legal problem in passing the resolution.’
Tofail Ahmed, a veteran parliamentarian of AL, said the people had voted Awami League to power to see the war criminals brought to justice. It has become a demand of all. ‘Since it is our election pledge, we should approve the proposal,’ he said requesting the prime minister to speak.
Sheikh Hasina then took the floor and extended her support to the proposal saying that she had ordered the ministries and persons concerned to begin the process to bring the war criminals to justice.
‘Trial of the war criminals has become a demand of the day.
We have had discussions with persons concerned. We are gathering evidence of how other countries have dealt with war criminals,’ the prime minister said adding that she collected names of a panel of international experts on war crime tribunals.
The foreign ministry has taken the initiative to this end.
‘Trial of the war criminals will take place on this soil,’ Hasina said amidst thumping on the desks by her deputies in the house.
Planning minister AK Khandaker and former home minister Rafiqul Islam and also took part in the supplementary discussion asking the house to approve the resolution to pave the way for fulfilling the people’s long-standing demand for trial of the war criminals.
AL lawmakers AKM Rahmat Ullah, Enamul Haq, KH Rashiduzzaman and Golam Dastagir Gazi and WP lawmakers Rashed Khan Menon and Fazle Hossain Badsha also took part in the discussion.
Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister sought the United Nations’ assistance to try the war criminals of 1971.
During Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistani occupation forces in 1971, according to historians, three million people were killed, 2,00,000 women were violated and tens of thousands of homes were torched by Pakistani forces and their local collaborators.
An early initiative to prosecute the war crimes was called off after the 1975 political changeover with the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding president.
Bangladesh Sector Commanders’ Forum, a platform of 1971 war veterans, revealed last year that 11,000 indicted war criminals were released from jail a few months after Mujib’s assassination.

Courtesy: newagebd.com

Related News

Low teacher pay harms education

Shahin Akhter Teachers continue to go underpaid compared with their fellows in other Asian countries which squarely affects the quality of education, the white paper on the state of the Bangladesh economy says. The average salary of a primary school teacher is about 27 per cent less than the average monthly per capita income and ... Read more

Khaleda Zia visits US embassy to complete visa process

News Desk : dhakamirror.com BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia went to the US Embassy in the capital on Wednesday afternoon to give her fingerprints for completing her visa application process. Upon her arrival at the embassy, its officials, including acting ambassador welcomed the BNP chairperson. Khaleda was accompanied by her personal physicians, BNP Standing Committee member ... Read more

Sajek, Khagrachari now open to visitors after being closed for over a month

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The tourism restriction imposed in Sajek valley of Rangamati and Khagrachhari for over a month was lifted today allowing visitors after 45 days. Rangamati Deputy Commissioner Mosharraf Hossain Khan announced the lifting of travel bans at the popular Sajek Union in Baghaichhari Upazila. Similarly, the Khagrachari Deputy Commissioner has also lifted ... Read more

Tourist access to suspend in St Martins in February

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has decided that tourist access to Saint Martin’s Island will be suspended in February to protect the island’s fragile ecology and ensure environmental preservation. Tourists will be allowed to visit the island from November to January, with overnight stays prohibited in November. In December and January, tourists can stay ... Read more

Public univs to accommodate 37pc GPA 5 achievers

Shahin Akhter Around 63 per cent of examinees securing a Grade Point Average of 5 in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent examinations will not be able to get admitted to the public universities across the country due to lack of seats. Though the private universities in the country have sufficient seats to accommodate ... Read more

297 killed by lightning in eight months

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 297 people have been killed and 73 injured in incidents of lightning strikes across the country between February and September this year, according to Save the Society and Thunderstorm Awareness Forum (SSTAF). In the eight months, lightning strikes killed 152 people while they were doing agricultural works, SSTAF said ... Read more

Flood death toll climbs to 59, over 5.4 million affected

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Fifty-nine people, including 41 men, six women and 12 children, died in the devastating flood as deaths of five more people were reported on Saturday. So far, 14 deaths have been reported in Cumilla, six in Chattogram, 23 in Feni, nine in Noakhali, three in Cox’s Bazar, and one each in ... Read more

Flood death toll reaches 13, 4.5m affected in 11 districts

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Around 13 people have been killed and 4.5 million affected by floods in 11 districts of Bangladesh, the disaster management and relief ministry said Friday, reports AFP. Thousands of people awaiting emergency rescue remained beyond electricity and mobile network coverage as a flash flood unleashed by heavy rains and an onrush ... Read more

Bangladesh ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia freed

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has been officially released. Former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was released on Tuesday, a day after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as PM and fleeing the country amid an unprecedented student-led mass uprising against her authoritarian regime. The decision was revealed ... Read more

Eid-ul-Azha on June 17

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The holy Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated in Bangladesh on June 17 (Monday) as the crescent moon of the Zilhaj month was sighted in Bangladesh’s sky on Friday evening (7 June). The National Moon Sighting Committee came up with the decision after reviewing information about the sighting of the moon at a ... Read more

Cyclone Remal: 40 dead animals found, 17 rescued hurt in Sundarbans

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The forest department officials on Tuesday said that so far they found 39 dead deer and a pig in the Sundarbans after the severe cyclone Remal that hit the forest on Sunday. Primarily they have estimated infrastructural damage of Tk 6.27 crore in the forest while the total damage, including animals ... Read more

Cyclone Remal claims at least 14 lives, affects nearly 37.58 lakh people in 19 districts

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Following its devastating impact into Bangladesh on Sunday night, Cyclone Remal has affected over 37.58 lakh people in 19 districts and taken at least 14 lives. While the cyclone has weakened into a deep depression, hundreds of villages in the southern parts of the country remain submerged. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department ... Read more

Alert issued as Cyclone Remal develops

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A weather alert has been issued by the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) as a low-pressure system in the southwest and west central Bay of Bengal gains strength, potentially developing into Cyclone Remal by Saturday. The system, currently moving northeastward, is expected to transform into a depression by early Friday. By Saturday, ... Read more

Cyclone ‘Remal’ likely to hit Bangladesh coasts on 26 May: Meteorologist

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cyclone Remal is likely to make landfall between 6:00am and 12:00pm on 26 May in Bangladesh, affecting coastal areas from the Barguna in Barishal Division to Cox’s Bazar in the Chattogram Division, a meteorologist said today (21 May). The front of the cyclone may begin to enter coastal areas after 6:00am, ... Read more

5 consecutive days holiday for Eid-ul-Adha

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Government employees are scheduled to get five consecutive days off on Eid-ul-Azha. This includes two days of weekly holidays (Friday and Saturday) followed by another three days for Eid, according to government holiday list. Eid-ul-Azha is likely to be celebrated on June 17 this year.

Heavy rains, storms forecast for entire week

Schools open today after heatwave closures News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) forecasts heavy rainfall with thunderstorms across the country this week, starting on Tuesday and lasting through Saturday. As per the analysis of mathematical model of rainfall index, Bangladesh is likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall with thunderstorms starting ... Read more

Waiting for the rain

Tawsia Tajmim As the sun blazes relentlessly, desperate craving rises for rain, for nothing soothes Mother Nature quite like its cool embrace. After a brutal month-long heatwave, residents of Chattogram, Sylhet, and Dhaka finally caught a break with some rain on 2 May. However, the downpour was not strong enough to completely wash away the ... Read more

Hajj registration extended till Jan 18

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government, in a notice issued yesterday, extended the Hajj registration deadline for 2024 until January 18. It said aspiring Hajis would have to primarily deposit Tk 2.05 lakh, while the rest should be paid by February 29 for final registration. One has to pay Tk 5,78,840 under the general package, ... Read more

Dense fog disrupts communications across Bangladesh

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cold and dense fog continued to disrupt life with road, air and waterways communication remaining suspended in the early hours of Tuesday as Bangladesh braces for this winter’s first cold wave likely to set in today. Authorities also confirmed until Tuesday the death of 14 people in cold-related diseases and road ... Read more

27,000 GPA 5 achievers not to get seat in public universities

Shahin Akhter Over 27,000 GPA 5 achievers in this year’s HSC and equivalent examinations cannot be admitted to the public universities due to fewer seats. A total of 92,595 examinees secured GPA 5 out of total 10,67,852 passed in the Higher Secondary Certificate examinations this year. But there are around 65,400 seats at the public ... Read more