Trial of collaborators
Akku Chowdhury, Banani, Dhaka
On the evening of July 30, the ETV interviewed Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mujahid, a Pakistani collaborator and commander of the dreaded Al-Badr in 1971. He tried to convince the audience that he was just a bystander during the 1971 genocide committed by the Pakistan army. He even claimed that his party Jamaat would eventually make an evaluation of 1971 and make it public. He also claimed they are in no hurry to come to power and are willing to be partner with any party to reach that ultimate goal. It was possibly an attempt by ETV to bring the Jamaat leader to a 'media trial' through this programme where valiant freedom fighter Lt. General Mir Shaukat (retd) and Major General Ibrahim (retd) literally accused him (via telephone) of his (Mujahid's) participation in the genocide of Bengalees by collaborating as a Pakistani agent in 1971. Which of course Mujahid denied and showered great tributes to the gallant freedom fighters. The time has come to seriously demand the trial and punishment of the Pakistani military officers and their Bengali agents (Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al-Shams) who committed crimes against humanity in 1971. The mindless killing, rape, arson and forced evacuation by those people cannot go unpunished. The crimes they have committed keep haunting us and it is now a perfect time to raise this issue of 'trial and punishment' not just 'truth and reconciliation'. We don't want just an apology for those heinous crimes but those culprits and killers of 1971 must be punished. They should not be allowed to come back as political leaders. Like the drive against corruption, the drive against the perpetrators of the 1971 genocide should become part of our agenda too.
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