Cabinet approves draft of Muktijoddha Council Act-2020
The draft act laid out some key issues, including registration process of organizations related to Liberation War and freedom fighters, activities of the council, its financing and budget procedure
The cabinet has approved, in principle, the draft of 'Jatiya Muktijoddha Council Act-2020', keeping a provision for developing a list of Razakars, collaborators of the Pakistani occupying force during the 1971 Liberation War.
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam made the announcement during a press briefing at the secretariat on Monday noon, following a virtual cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
The ministers attended the meeting from the secretariat, while the Premier joined from Ganabhaban, her official residence.
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A Muktijoddha Council Act had already been in place since 2002. But the act could not fully meet the demands of the present time.
"Therefore, the liberation war affairs ministry formulated the draft act. Once this act is passed, the previous one will be void," said Khandker Anwarul.
The draft act laid out some key issues, including registration process of organizations related to Liberation War and freedom fighters, activities of the council, its financing and budget procedure.
"This law is being formulated to replace the previous law," he added.
According to the draft act, the Muktijoddha Council will recommend that the government prepare a list of individuals who were either active members of (anti-independence) the para-military forces, Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams during the Liberation War, or opposed Bangladesh's independence or the Liberation War itself. It will also ask the government to issue the list in form of a gazette notification.
According to Khandker Anwarul, the previous act did not have this provision.
As per the new law, the council will recommend legal action against gazetted and certified freedom fighters who made their way into the list on the basis of false information.
Asked about the kind of legal action being proposed, the cabinet secretary said it will depend on the severity of the crime committed by the individual to enlist himself/herself. The nature of the crime will be scrutinized, and a fitting penalty will be recommended as per the penal code.
With regards to the method of enlisting the Razakars, he said the matter has been included in the draft act without providing specific details.
"The draft law does not detail everything. The definition of anti-independence will be fully explained in the ruling. Let the law first come into existence, the rulings will then follow," he mentioned.
