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Charge Hannan with treason
War veterans and eminent citizens yesterday said the government should bring treason charge against former bureaucrat Shah Abdul Hannan, who has said the 1971 Liberation War was fought between India and Pakistan, and not between Bangladesh and Pakistan.That rewriting history thing's not going well, is it? Sector Commanders' Forum leader Maj Gen (retd) KM Shafiullah said Hannan has violated the constitution by making such a comment. The preamble of the constitution states that Bangladesh was created after the Liberation War in 1971. "If he (Hannan) is a citizen of Bangladesh, he has committed a crime making such a comment. So the government should bring charge of treason against him and bring him to justice," Shafiullah who had led the Liberation War as a sector commander, told The Daily Star. Chief Coordinator of the Sector Commanders Forum Harunur Rashid said those who deny the War of Liberation deny the existence of Bangladesh and should be charged with treason. Rights activist and former adviser to the caretaker government Sultana Kamal said the remark is baseless and a crude lie because Bangladesh fought the Pakistan occupation forces with declaration of war on March 26, 1971. Sultana, also a freedom fighter, said after nine months of fighting the joint forces joined the freedom fighters in December. "All except those who were involved in killing and rape and arsons as the collaborators of Pakistani occupation forces know about the Liberation War," she said. She added now their character is once again being revealed through such remarks. "No-one is more hated than those who deny the Liberation War." According to newspaper reports, former secretary to the government and former chairman of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, Hannan, at a discussion organised by Sangskritik Oikya Front at the National Press Club on Friday said: "To my knowledge no war had taken place between Pakistan and Bangladesh in 1971. I have come across no such information in the books of history published abroad." Contacted, Hannan said, "I'll not make any comment because I'm already a victim of injustice by a section of newspapers." He alleged his comments were presented as one sided and out of context. Posted by: Fred 2009-02-22 |
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