The government has taken up an initiative to prepare a complete list of the martyrs of the Liberation War, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said. Those who, after independence, were responsible for preparing an accurate and impartial complete list of freedom fighters and Liberation War martyrs did not do so at the time, he said, but instead dragged politics into the exercise. The present government has taken up the task of preparing a complete list as a sacred duty.
The prime minister gave the information on Wednesday in reply to a question from ruling-party MP Ruhul Amin Dulal (Pirojpur-3) during the prime minister’s question time in the National Parliament, held at the start of the day’s sitting with Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal in the chair.
In reply, Leader of the House Tarique Rahman said countless people had been victims of genocide during the great Liberation War. Sadly, he said, those responsible after independence for preparing an impartial, complete list of the martyred had not done so accurately at the time but had dragged politics into it, and further problems were later created in compiling the list. Yet it was through these people’s sacrifice that the nation had won its cherished independence, he said. Recognising the importance of the matter, the present government had pledged in its election manifesto to prepare a complete list of the Liberation War martyrs on the basis of intensive research, and the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs had already taken various steps — including holding expert meetings with researchers and drawing up a detailed, realistic action plan through continuous discussions with stakeholders.
Through such initiatives, the prime minister said, it would be possible to prepare an accurate and acceptable list of the victims of genocide and all the martyrs, and to give their sacrifice due recognition and dignity.
In a supplementary question, Ruhul Amin Dulal said there were many fake freedom fighters in Bangladesh, and that the Awami League government had rehabilitated Awami League workers by enlisting them as freedom fighters, drawing a monthly allowance of Tk 20,000. He asked whether these fake freedom fighters would be verified and struck off, and whether MPs would be made advisers to any verification committee.
In reply, the prime minister largely repeated his earlier remarks, saying that those responsible after independence for preparing an accurate list of freedom fighters and martyrs had instead presented it politically and had not done so impartially. The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs had already formed a committee of experts, he said, and the government would try to identify the genuine freedom fighters and martyrs.
In another supplementary question, Kurigram-1 MP Anowarul Islam said that whenever the government changed, the incoming side enlisted some of its own party people among the freedom fighters, and the next government struck some off, so that the genuine freedom fighters were left out and, 55 years on, the nation still could not know the truth. He asked whether a thorough review would be carried out to strike off the non-genuine and prepare a list of the real freedom fighters.
The prime minister said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was the party built by the martyred president Ziaur Rahman, who had been a freedom fighter, had fought in the field and had also declared independence. The BNP was now in charge of running the country, he said, and believed wholeheartedly that it had a sacred duty toward the freedom fighters and the Liberation War — which was why the present government was trying to prepare a complete list.
Replying to a question from Mymensingh-8 MP Lutfullahel Majed, Tarique Rahman said there were 545 parks and playgrounds under Dhaka’s two city corporations. In a supplementary reply, he said a football match for both boys and girls had recently been held at the primary-school level, in which about 22 lakh children had taken part, and that from next year the government would launch a Prime Minister’s Gold Cup football tournament for primary-school children, to be extended in stages to secondary schools — a decision, he said, that had broadly been taken.
When Cumilla-4 MP Abul Hasnat sought to ask a supplementary question outside the main question, Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal disallowed it, and another MP was given the chance instead.
Replying to Chattogram-13 MP Sarwar Jamal Nizam, the Leader of the House said cargo and container handling at Chattogram seaport in 2010 had been 4,53,00,663 metric tons and 13,43,448 TEUs respectively, while in 2025 it had been 13,81,00,812 metric tons and 34,09,069 TEUs. In a supplementary reply, he said steps had been taken to implement the Bay Terminal, which would let mother vessels berth directly at the port, cutting transshipment costs, speeding up imports and exports and playing a major role in the national economy.
Replying to Dhaka-5 MP Kamal Hossain, Tarique Rahman said that if any corruption occurred at Chattogram port, those involved would certainly be tried, and that his government would work to build a corruption-free environment in stages.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report