Bdnews24.com, Dhaka
The Sector Commanders’ Forum is optimistic that a pro-independence Awami League-led government will start the legal procedures to hold war crimes trial as soon as possible.
“The forum firmly believes, the Awami League-led elected government will start the legal procedure to try war ‘criminals’ and thus the nation will get rid of a stigma,” a press release signed by the SCF’s publicity and publication committee chairman Harun Habib said yesterday.
“Until the war ‘criminals’ are tried, the departed souls of the millions of martyrs will not find peace and country’s independence and sovereignty will be at stake,” the release said.
The SCF, a forum of sector commanders during Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971, also congratulated the “pro-liberation war” AL-led grand alliance on its landslide victory in the Dec. 29 general election.
The AL won a staggering 230 seats out of 299 on offer, with its allies securing a further 32 seats.
“The Sector Commanders’ Forum thinks the victory of the pro-liberation war forces is significant for the nation and expresses its hope that from now the victory will [renew efforts] to try the war criminals and anti-liberation forces,” the release added.
Prime minister-elect Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina on Thursday sought the assistance of the United Nations to hold war crimes trial.
Hasina talked to the UN secretary-general’s special envoy Ian Martin about the trial when the two met at Sudha Sadan.
Martin said according to international law the UN can cooperate if Bangladesh seeks cooperation, according to an aide to Hasina.
The AL had promised to hold war crimes trial in its election manifesto.
UN secre-tary general Ban Ki-moon Ban during his visit in early November said they might offer assistance to hold such trial on rquest from Bangladesh.
The War Crimes Facts Finding Committee wrote to Ban for UN support to set up an international tribunal to try the criminals of 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
The Sector Commanders Forum also had asked the government to formally seek UN assistance for trying the war criminals.
Accordingly, foreign adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury made the request at a meeting with the UN chief at New York in April.
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
