The ruling Awami League on Saturday informed the international community about the murder of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the long trial process of that incident.
The leaders of the party and the members of the cabinet of the government presented the details of the brutal murder to the officials of various missions in Dhaka. They said that Bangabandhu's fugitive murderers should be brought back to the country and the judgment executed and requested the cooperation of the concerned countries in this regard.
Besides, they demanded to form a commission to unmask those behind the assassination of Bangabandhu and present the actual historical information to the nation.
To mark the National Mourning Day, the International Sub-Committee of the party organised a discussion meeting titled 'Annals of History: The Indelible Mark of August' at No. 32 of historic Dhanmondi. Diplomats of various countries including Japan, Russia, Germany and Pakistan participated in it. Later, the diplomats paid tributes to the portrait of the Father of the Nation and visited the Bangabandhu Museum.
Awami League’s International Affairs Subcommittee Chairman former Ambassador M Zamir presided over the meeting where Law Minister Advocate Anisul Haque, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, Secretary of Awami League's International Affairs Shammi Ahmed, Nahid Ezhar Khan, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on the Ministry of Defense of the Jatiya Sangsad and Abdur Rahman Sheikh Rama, an eyewitness to Bangabandhu's murder and the plaintiff in the case, among others spoke.
In the discussion meeting, Advocate Anisul Haque, the chief prosecutor of the state side of the Bangabandhu murder case, in his speech highlighted the judicial process including the Bangabandhu murder case and the indemnity ordinance that had kept the judicial process suspended for 21 years. He said, after the indemnity ordinance was issued, there was no chance to even do a trial let alone a case. No civilized country can have such laws.
“After the Awami League came to power in 1996, the Indemnity Ordinance was canceled and the trial was opened,” the lawyer said and continued as saying that if the government wanted, it could have prosecuted the brutal murderers through a summary trial. But Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina did not want that.
He said that after BNP came to power in 2001, the trial was again obstructed. At this time, seven judges felt embarrassed to judge. Later, during the caretaker government, the trial started again and after the Awami League government came to power in 2009, the trial verdict was completed after completing all the processes in the high court, appeal and review.
He said that the government did not act out of anger or revenge. It did this for the establishment of rule of law and justice.
The Law Minister questioned the role of Ziaur Rahman and later the BNP government in obstructing the judicial process. Addressing the foreign envoys, the minister said, "I have not come here to play blame politics. We are here to reveal the truth. You will also have the opportunity to verify it.”
Stating that the government is looking for the fugitive killers of Bangabandhu, the law minister said, "We want to bring back other killers, who are absconding abroad, and implement the trial verdict. The government is working towards its goal. We seek the cooperation of the international community in this regard. We request the countries where the murderers have fled to send them back to Bangladesh. We want it to ensure justice, not revenge. We want to inform the whole world that Bangladesh does not condone any murderer.”