JS passes Jatiya Muktijoddha Council (Amendment) Bill amid Jamaat's objection

The parliament has passed Jatiya Muktijoddha Council (Amendment) Bill to transform the ordinance into a law, while retaining the names of the then Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami and Nizam-e-Islam Party as allies of the Pakistani occupation forces.

The bill, placed and moved by Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan, emphasizes the preservation of the ideals of the Liberation War and the realization of its core goals: equality, human dignity, and social justice.

Meanwhile, opposition leader and Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman gave a long speech opposing the bill. However, the Speaker did not put the objection to the vote as he did not specifically mention which section he wanted to amend.

However, Jamaat's ally, the National Citizens Party (NCP), has informed the Speaker in writing that the party has no objection to the bill.

Out of the 133 ordinances issued during the tenure of the interim government, a special committee of the parliament has recommended that 98 of them be introduced in the form of bills.

Jamaat MPs, while expressing their dissent, said that if the ordinance is passed without any changes, existing parties like Muslim League, Jamaat and Nizam-e-Islam will remain identified as collaborators of Pakistan, which is not reasonable.

They also demanded a change in the definition of ‘heroic freedom fighters’ and the liberation war. In addition, they said that in the law of Khaleda Zia’s government in 2002, these parties were not called collaborators of the Pakistani occupying forces, and they said that identifying a political party as an armed force is support for fascist politics.

The definition of a freedom fighter in the ordinance states that those who actively fought and received training against the Pakistani armed forces and their collaborators including the Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, Nizam-e-Islam from March 26 to December 16, 1971, in order to achieve independence, will be recognized as heroic freedom fighters. Members of the armed forces, Mukti Bahini, police, EPR, naval commandos and other recognized forces will also be considered heroic freedom fighters.