Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday said the government is working to prepare an accurate and credible list of Bangladesh’s martyred freedom fighters and genuine war veterans, while an expert committee has been formed to identify and remove those who were allegedly falsely recognise as freedom fighters.
The prime minister made the remarks in parliament while responding to a supplementary question from lawmaker Mohammad Ruhul Amin Dulal. The sitting was chaired by Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal.
During the question-and-answer session, Dulal alleged that during the previous government, many political activists had been fraudulently enlisted as freedom fighters and gazetted as such.
He claimed that these individuals are currently receiving a monthly government allowance of Tk 20,000. He proposed forming a committee, with members of parliament serving as advisers, to verify and remove those falsely included in the list.
Responding to the proposal, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said the responsibility for preparing an accurate list after Bangladesh’s independence had been politicized.
“Those who were entrusted with preparing the list after independence used it for political purposes. They did not carry out the task impartially,” he said.
“In response to your proposal, I would like to inform the House that the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has already formed a committee comprising experts. They are working to identify the genuine martyrs and authentic freedom fighters,” the prime minister added.
Another lawmaker, Md. Anwarul Islam from Kurigram-1, questioned why the nation has yet to receive a definitive list of freedom fighters more than five decades after independence. He also asked why the list changes with every change of government and whether the administration plans to publish a permanent list based on a comprehensive verification of genuine freedom fighters.
In reply, Tarique Rahman said the lists prepared in the past through partisan considerations are now being reviewed and verified.
“Our goal is to present the nation with a transparent and credible list where there will be no place for fake names, and the genuine martyrs and freedom fighters will receive the honour and recognition they truly deserve,” he said.
The prime minister also said the current government remains committed to protecting the dignity and honour of genuine freedom fighters, adding that field-level verification and the work of the expert committee are currently underway.
