Separate commission will identify persons involved: MK Alamgir

Torture of political leaders
The government will form a separate Commission to identify those who were involved in torture and oppression of political leaders, businessmen, religious minority populace and innocent people in the past, especially during 2001-2008 and bring them to justice.
“We have recommended to the government to formulate a separate Commission which will identify the persons who were involved in oppressing political leaders, businessmen, religious minority and innocent people in the past, especially during 2001-08. The convicted persons will face trial in light of recommendations of the Commission,” chairman of parliamentary standing committee on public undertakings Dr Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir MP said while talking to journalists after a discussion meeting in the city yesterday.
Bangladesh Research and Publications Ltd. and South Asian Forum for Citizen’s Charter jointly organised the roundtable on ‘Democracy and Development: Impact of Secular Bangladesh in the region’. Ambassador Wali-ur Rahman presided over the function while Dr Khan was the chief guest.  Professor ABM Nasir of the University of North Carolina presented the keynote paper.
Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed of International Relations Department and Professor Dr Anisuzzaman of Philosophy Department of Dhaka University, Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee president Shahriar Kabir, Nure Hasna Lily Chowdhury MP, former secretary Marghub Morshed and journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the roundtable.
Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir said there were horrific cruelties on the religious minority during 2001-08 and the present government was trying to blot out that sore form the minds of the oppressed people.
“A lot of innocent people were tortured in the past and the torturers cannot go unpunished,” he added.
He said no government but a democratic one can bring about real welfare of the people and everyone should seriously work for establishing a secular democratic Bangladesh.
“There will be differences of opinion among the political parties in a democratic country. I welcome such differences but we should be careful that differences of opinion do not damage the democratic structure of the country as it happened in the past,” Dr Khan said.
Professor Dr ABM Nasir in his keynote paper on ‘Development Performance in Bangladesh: Under Democracy and Under Autocracy’ said military intervention is a barrier to the development of political institution. Strong democratic institutions are essential for making national security stronger and the military is necessary for tackling insurgency etc. in the country, he added.
BSS adds: Speakers participating in the seminar called upon all to remain alert so that unconstitutional forces cannot take power further, saying that the forces are the enemy of democracy as well as the country and nation.
“The progress of the country’s democracy was halted repeatedly since the independence due to capturing power by the unconstitutional governments,” they told a seminar. The speakers also called for restoration of the 1972 constitution to consolidate democracy and establish equal rights of the citizens.
“There is no need for legal battle as the present Parliament is enough for going back to the 1972 constitution,” they opined.
They pointed out that fundamentalism mainly spread in the country during the rule of late president Ziaur Rahman.
 
Courtesy of The Independent