Govt releases list of 10,789 wartime collaborators

The government has released a list of 10,789 Bengalis who collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War in 1971.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 15 Dec 2019, 07:26 AM
Updated : 16 Dec 2019, 06:59 AM

The list was compiled on the basis of documents and records gathered by the home ministry, said Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq.

The full list of collaborators will gradually be released, he said at a media briefing at the liberation war affairs ministry on Sunday. The first part of the list has been uploaded to the ministry's website.

"There was documentary evidence in the record rooms of the then 19 districts which were asked to be handed over. We didn't get the expected list so we've asked the authorities to send the all records by January. The list will be published in phases upon scrutinising the records," said Mozammel.

"I want to make something clear, we are not preparing any new list. We are only publishing the list of those who were recruited to the Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams and other anti-liberation forces Pakistani government and were named in the old  records preserved by the home ministry."

On whether the list will be published as a gazette, the minister said, "No there won't be any gazette. But there could be a gazette if the people want it and the government acts accordingly. We are releasing the list now. We will gauge the reaction to it first before taking further steps."