ABM Khairul Haque demands trial of Pakistani war criminals

Former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque has demanded the trial of the Pakistani troops involved in crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

He made the demand while inaugurating the Victory Day celebrations at the Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on Wednesday.
 
Haque called for measures to preserve the places which were linked with the Liberation War.
 
At the Udyan, the national anthem was sung in chorus by millions of voices.
 
Haque, now  Chairman of the Law Commission, said, “It’s not enough to ensure rule of law only inside the country. Rule of law should be established all over the world.”
 

He asked, “Why won’t the Pakistan Army soldiers who committed war crimes in the country (Bangladesh) be tried?’’ Justice Haque stated that Pakistan has to try 195 of its army officers as per its pledge.

In 1971 Pakistani troops and their local cohorts committed war crimes such as murder, genocide, rape and arson during the nine-month war.

Bangladesh  has been trying local war criminals and has already executed four of them.

Haque said, “The call for the struggle for independence came from  this park (Suhrawardy Udyan). The enemy force surrendered here nine months later.”

He questioned how many people of the country knew about ‘these locations’.

“These locations have to be preserved so that coming generations can proudly say, ‘Our ancestors were victors in the war and left us their legacy in these places.”

Dhaka University Vice Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique termed ‘shameless and false’ Pakistan’s statement that no war crimes had taken place in Bangladesh.

He referred to the recent decision by the Dhaka University Senate to sever all forms of ties with Pakistani educational institutions.

Siddique said that relations would not be restored until Pakistan officially apologised for the crimes it committed in 1971.

He demanded that Pakistan’s membership of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the United Nations be revoked.