The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The move to divide the nation in the name of pro and anti-liberation forces 37 years after the independence of the country came under strong criticism at a representatives’ conference of Jatiya Muktijoddah Parishad in the city yesterday.

Speaking as the chief guest on the occasion, former chief justice Syed JR Moddassir Hossain called upon all to get united and involve themselves in protecting the independence and sovereignty of the country by forgetting all divisions and shunning meanness.

Referring to the nine-month long bloody war of liberation for independence of the country, he reminded that protecting the independence is tougher than its achievement.

The former chief justice emphasised the need for providing good education to post liberation war generation to imbibe them with the spirit of the war of liberation.

Jatiya Muktijoddah Parishad (JMP) organised the conference at the auditorium of Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) with Eng Moslem Uddin, president of the organisation in the chair.

Sector Commander of War of Liberation Wing Commander (Retd) Hamidullah Khan, Bir Protik, was the chief speaker of the conference. The conference was also addressed, among others, by former adviser for energy Mahmudoor Rahman, former Vice Chancellor of Rajshahi University Dr M Yusuf Ali, journalist Amanullah Kabir, Dr Rejwan Siddiqui, New Nation Editor Mostafa Kamal Majumder, secretary general of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journlaists (BFUJ) Ruhul Amin Gazi, cultural personality Abul Kashem Mithun, secretary general of JMP Md Iqbal, Hannan Hossain, Chapainawabganj Pourashaba Chairman Ataur Rahman, Azizur Rahman, Abu Taher Khan, Prof Abdul Karim Khan, Maulana Nazrul Islam, Prof Abdul Hye, Adv Abdus Salam Khan and Nazmul Karim Sufi.

Sector Commander Hamidullah Khan said some sector commanders want to divide the nation in the name of trial of war criminals to meet their political ends.

“Among those who are introducing themselves as sector commanders, some of them were not in the war field during the War of Liberation in 1971; rather they spent life in luxury in Kolkata,” he said.

Hamidullah Khan said they had taken facilities from all previous governments and were now dreaming to be technocrat ministers in future.

Criticising the roles of some sector commanders during the changeover in 1975 he said if they were active during the period, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman might not have died.

Mahmudoor Rahman said freedom fighters fought for achieving the independence of the country, establishing democracy but not to make the country subservient to other nations.

Alleging that freedom fighters were not being evaluated properly, he said Indian generals are being honoured more than the freedom fighters of the country.