Hindustan Surkhiyan Desk:Finance minister AMA Muhith on Thursday said that the present government’s greatest success was the holding of the trial of those who carried out crimes against humanity in the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh.
‘The greatest success of our government, in my opinion, is bringing the war criminals who committed heinous crime against humanity during our liberation war to justice and the execution of the punishment given to the main perpetrators,’ Muhith said in his budget speech on Thursday at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
‘So far, a total of 53 cases were taken into cognisance for trial by the International War Crime Tribunal constituted for the purpose. Out of this, judgements were delivered in 31 cases while the rest are still under trial. Six out of seven death sentences upheld by the Appellate Division have been executed. Besides, 25th March has been declared National Genocide Day,’ he added.
Referring to the last Bangladesh Nationalist Party-Jamaat alliance government which had made war criminals like Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Muzahid ministers, Muhith said, ‘We were upset and the nation was disgraced when these notorious criminals became part of the state machinery and moved around hoisting our national flag in their official cars. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina did not bow down to any undue domestic or international pressure in the question of holding the trial of war crimes.’
‘Her extra-ordinary bold steps freed our nation from indelible stigma. This, to some extent, has lessened the incalculable debt that we owe to the martyrs and heroes of our liberation war,’ he further said.
