Almost 47 years have elapsed, but justice for the killing of four national leaders-- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain Mansur Ali, and AHM Quamruzzaman--still remains elusive.
Government high ups have said they have been trying to bring back the convicted killers, but have failed due to the political asylum laws prevalent in some countries.
The four national leaders all played crucial roles in the Mujibnagar Government in exile during the Liberation War of 1971. Syed Nazrul Islam served as the acting President, Tajuddin Ahmad as the Prime Minister, Captain Mansur Ali as the Finance Minister, and AHM Qamruzzaman as the Home, Relief, and Rehabilitation Minister.
Following liberation, they held significant positions in the government led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
After the assassination of Bangabandhu, on August 15, 1975, his four comrades were also brutally killed inside Dhaka Central Jail in the dead of night on November 3 the same year.
After five years, on 18 September in 1980, a probe commission was formed in London over the killings of 15 August 1975 and subsequently the jail killing on 3 November in the same year.
The probe commission was formed following an appeal lodged by the two daughters of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman--Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana--and Mohammad Selim, a son of slain leader Monsur Ali, and Syed Ashraful Islam, son of slain leader Syed Nazrul Islam.
But, at that time, the probe commission became ineffective due to non-cooperation by the then Bangladesh government led by Ziaur Rahman who refused to provide a visa to a probe commission member.
Meanwhile, more than 18 years ago, a trial court sentenced the perpetrators of the heinous crime, but the government could not implement the verdict against 11 of the convicted killers of the four national leaders.
Among them, Captain Abdul Majed, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in the Jail Killing case, was executed for his conviction in the case over the murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The other 10 convicts are fugitives.
Muslemuddin, Marfat Ali Shah and Abdul Hashem Mridha were sentenced to death, while Khondaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haq Dalim, Noor Chowdhury, Rashed Chowdhury, Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Kismat Hasem and Nazmul Hossain were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Six of them were also convicted in the Bangabandhu murder case.
The government has information on two of the convicts who were sentenced to life imprisonment. Colonel (Retd) Noor Chowdhury is reported to be in Canada and Lt. Colonel (Retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury in the United States.
Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, the government, including the Foreign Minister, the State Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Secretary have been trying to bring the convict killers back home.
Officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs also said that they are also trying to bring the convicts back to Bangladesh to ensure justice in the cases related to the killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the four national leaders. But some countries do not extradite people who have been handed death sentences.
They claimed that they were trying their best to implement the verdict, they said.
Officials of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs also said they were pursuing diplomatic channels to bring back the convicted killers, but some countries are refusing to extradite them because of their local laws on political asylum.
The family members of the four national leaders are pleased with the verdict, but they also want it to be implemented.