Staff Reporter :Freedom fighters are our national pride and they must not be used politically for a partisan purpose. According to the initiative taken by the government to prepare a new and final list after 42 years cannot be taken easily. There is nothing to scrutinise the list of freedom fighters now. It is a matter of record prepared during the Liberation War and must not be a matter of changing definition of a freedom fighter to suit party politics. The aforesaid statements were made by Barrister Mainul Hosein while taking part in the talk show organised by TV Channel-24 on Thursday evening. Others who joined the talk show were Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and ASM Abdur Rob, a former Minister and President of JSD (Rob). Mr. Shovon Aref was the moderator of the talk show. Barrister Hosein put it strongly that such a list should be done by an independent national committee. This can not be left to be done by the party in power. He expressed himself to be in favour of forming a judicial or national body for preparing politically unbiased list of freedom fighters. Barrister Hosein added: Who are freedom fighters cannot be a matter of changing definition. This is a fact and those who fought with arms are to be known as freedom fighters. As our Liberation War was people’s war so the whole nation participated in the war in many ways. But all of them cannot be called freedom fighters. He said it is one thing to help the affected freedom fighters to be rehabilitated but another to make it a greedy affair to attract wrong persons to pose as freedom fighters. Such rehabilitation should also be considered in respect of those also who became victims of the war within the country. It is claimed that lacs of people were killed, women were abused then doing nothing to recognise their sacrifices is not acceptable. By way of asking a question Barrister Hosein said many countries were liberated through armed struggle, but he has not found anywhere a permanent Ministry is maintained for freedom fighters only. In his view, it is not honourable for true freedom fighters to use their reputation for partisan politics. Minister AKM Mozammel Haque explained in details how different committees of freedom fighters will be formed at different levels all over the country. ASM Abdur Rob was very critical about wrong persons being shown as freedom fighters with an ulterior motive by a government which is not elected.
