Awami League hanged 'clerics' by exploiting 1971 war, says convenor Hasnat

The relations between Bangladesh and India should be based on fairness, the anti-discrimination student leader says

Anti-discrimination Student Movement Convenor Hasnat Abdullah has claimed that the Awami League hanged the country's Islamic clerics by capitalising on 1971.

“The Awami League killed hundreds of people by exploiting 1971," he remarked before demanding, "Those who made use of 1971 in the name of the Awami League must be brought to justice."

Presenting the demand at a "Mayer Daak” rally at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan on Tuesday marking International Human Rights Day, he said: "The [Muslim] clerics of the country had been hanged through a controversial trial. No power in the world will remove us from the street until we get justice for this."

Hasnat continued, "Awami League leaders come out of jail, it seems they have come to their in-law's house for a picnic. We have received information that badminton matches are organised in cantonments and jail cells at night.”

"At every level of administration and police, fascism is on the rise. Fascism must be stopped everywhere.”

Claiming that any attempt to rehabilitate the Awami League would be a betrayal of the July-uprising martyrs, Hasnat said: "Many political parties in their hunger of power have talked about forgiving the Awami League. We want to say that you will be known as a traitor if you want to bring them back to the political scene until justice is delivered."

Referring to the relations with India, he said: "There will be no servile relations with India. Our relationship with India should be based on fairness.”

Warning against Indian “conspiracies”, he said: “India wanted us to get involved in a conflict with our minorities. None of Hindus and Buddhists are minorities, those who are against Bangladesh are minorities.”

"No more politics of compromise in Bangladesh.”

The organisation named “Mayer Daak” is made up of the families of enforced disappearance victims during the reign of Sheikh Hasina.

To join the organisation’s rally, the leaders and activists of the “Warriors of July”, a platform formed by the families of those who went missing in July, gathered outside the National Museum at the capital’s Shahbagh in the afternoon.