Dhaka, Nov 26 (bdnews24.com)— Home minister Sahara Khatun has warned that BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will have to face the music unless she withdraws support to alleged war criminals.
"You must stop supporting the war criminals, otherwise you will have to face trial," Sahara Khatun said, addressing Khaleda Zia, during a discussion organised by Muktijuddha Parishad at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium on Friday.
The government had formed the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), lawyers' panel and an investigation committee on March 25, 2010 to try the 1971 war criminals.
The tribunal is at present hearing charges against five top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders -- Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mojaheed, Delwar Hossain Sayeedee, Mohammad Kamruzzaman and Abdul Kader Molla -- and BNP leaders Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Abdul Alim.
On October 18, Khaleda had alleged that the government was out to annihilate the BNP-led four-party alliance and labelled the war crimes trials as a "farce."
She had also demanded immediate release of BNP and Jamaat leaders currently behind bars on charges of involvement in war crimes.
Retorting to these statements, Sahara said, "Khaleda Zia has become desperate to put an end to the war crimes trial."
The home minister also accused the BNP chief of alleging during her recent road marches that those arrested on charges of war crimes are not war criminals. "The BNP chief's stand regarding trial of the war criminals has become clear to the people," she said.
She also blamed Ziaur Rahman for rehabilitation of war criminals and bringing them into national politics after Bangabandhu's death in 1975.
"Using Zia as a puppet, the anti-liberation power ran the government," vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University Prof Dr Rafiqul Islam alleged.
Freedom fighter Ismat Kadir Gama requested the home minister to arrest Golam Azam and punish him, irrespective of his age. "We want to see him in prison even if he dies there," Gama said.
Responding to Gama's request, Sahara Khatun said, "Everything will be done in due time; just wait for a while."
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