Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Tuesday implored BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to come up with a ‘true list of war criminals and atheists’.
“She (Khaleda Zia) said she will try true war criminals if elected to power. We are trying marked war criminals. Then who will she try if she comes to power?”
“Does she have the true list of war criminals with her? Don’t you know that these Jamaat-e-Islami men had supported war crimes in 1971 by taking photos with Tikka Khan-Yahya Khan and by making statement and declarations?”
The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSad) President was speaking at a press conference in PID auditorium.
The minister’s comments came days after the BNP Chairperson called the Shahbagh protestors’ platform a stage of “spoiled and atheist youths” claiming they were carrying out anti-religion activities.
The youth demonstrators are campaigning, among other things, for maximum punishment for the convicted war criminals and a ban on Jamaat for perpetrating and aiding war crimes to stop the birth of Bangladesh.
Inu pointed out that the Jamaat leaders had called the then 70 million people of the erstwhile East Pakistan ‘Kafir’ (non-Muslims).
“It’s those leaders who gave (religious edict) to make it permissible to violate our innocent Bangalee mothers and sisters when the Pakistani soldiers pounced on them.”
Inu termed it ‘a farce’ Khaleda’s assurance of holding the trial of ‘real’ war criminals.
The Information Minister asked Khaleda to reveal the list of “real” war criminals she wanted to expose to trial if elected to power.
“Are those who use Facebook, Twitter and blog atheists? Are they spoiled? We want specific clarification from you. Reveal the list of the atheists. Explain how the government is atheist,” he said.
Inu also urged the opposition chief to stop spreading all sorts of ‘false propaganda, rumour and information terrorism’ on burning issues like Vitamin A capsule, religion and Shahbagh movement.
“It’s a hobby of Khaleda Zia to distort history. She doesn’t believe in history. The Jamaat-BNP combine has established falsehood as an independent art form.
Inu said there were many leaders and activists in the BNP who believe in spirits of the Liberation War: “Many of them took part in the Liberation War. I hope that you’ll be active again and try to stop your leader Khaleda Zia telling lies and part ways with the war criminals.”
Should they fail, Inu urged the BNP leaders and activists ‘believing in spirits of the Liberation War’ to side with the people and shun Khaleda and refrain from varying out destructive activities.
The minister said that the government already formed a special committee to find out and take action against those who are making objectionable comments against Islam and Prophet Muhammad) on Facebook and in blogs.
According to him, the former Prime Minister committed ‘an anti-religious act’ by comparing the government’s activities with ‘atheism.
Inu said that the BNP and Jamaat were lying about the war crimes trial, trial process and neutrality of the war crimes tribunals, religion, Shahbagh Ganajagaran Mancha, role of law enforcers, history of the nation, next general elections and repression on religious minority groups.
He also accused the BNP and Jamaat of leading the country towards bloodshed and anarchy through ‘information terrorism and circulating rumours that war crimes convict and Jamaat stalwart Delwar Hossain Sayedee’s face appeared on the Moon and children fell ill or even died after taking Vitamin A capsules distributed by the government.
The Information Minister read out a seven-page written statement for over an hour to clarify the government’s stance over different aspects of these ‘lies and rumours’.
Asked whether there was any move to ban a section of media outlets for ‘abusing press freedom”, the Information Minister said that the government was reviewing different laws.
Principal Information Officer Aminul Islam was present at the press conference.
Source: Bd news24