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It's article has sparked outrage due to its controversial remarks about the Liberation War and the freedom fighters who participated in it
Published : 30 Jan 2025, 12:17 AM
The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal has strongly condemned an article published by the Chhatra Sangbad, the monthly journal of the Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The article, which was part of the December issue, has sparked outrage due to its controversial remarks about the Liberation War and the freedom fighters who participated in it.
The BNP’s student front in a press statement said Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam and General Secretary Nasir Uddin have voiced their outrage over the controversial remarks, denouncing them as an affront to the nation's history and the sacrifices made by its people.
Penned by Ahmed Afghani, the article states: "Many Muslims got involved in the Liberation War without any realisation. It was their failure and shortsightedness. May Allah forgive them.”
Quoting this section of the article, the Chhatra Dal said: "It is a shameful and despicable act.”
"In fact, the great Liberation War was not a religious war. It was a war of resistance of the oppressed Bangladeshis against the indiscriminate genocide of the oppressive, occupying Pakistani forces. The Liberation War was a true people’s war due to the participation of all people, regardless of religion, caste, and tribe."
The student wing strongly criticised the statements made in the article, asserting: "The statement that someone joined the Liberation War by mistake or without understanding is nothing but the arrogance of the defeated forces of 1971 and their allies. It is a tactic to suppress the shame of their own defeat."
The organisation accused Chhatra Shibir of engaging in a "senseless propaganda" that would ultimately create a platform for the intellectual rehabilitation of the "fascist" Awami League.
The press release further pointed out the contradiction in Chhatra Shibir's actions, noting: "On one hand, Chhatra Shibir holds rallies on Independence and Victory Day with the slogan ‘we brought freedom, we will maintain freedom.”
“And on the other, in their party publications, they say joining the Liberation War was a mistake and shortsightedness of the people who participated in it.”
Chhatra Dal concluded that this "hypocrisy" has revealed the true nature of Chhatra Shibir's stance, claiming that while they publicly support the Liberation War, internally, they harbour the same anti-Liberation War sentiments as Chhatra Shibir’s predecessor, the Chhatra Sangha.
The BNP’s student wing called for an immediate apology from Chhatra Shibir, demanding that the organisation retract its “objectionable statements” and recognise the “undeniable truth that the Liberation War is central to Bangladesh's identity and existence”.
