Govt publishes list of 10,789 Razakars

The Ministry of Liberation War today published a list of 10,789 Razakars who were collaborators of the Pakistani occupation forces throughout the Liberation War in 1971.

“In the first phase, we are publishing a list of 10,789 Razakars reviewing the documents of the home ministry,” Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque told a press conference at the ministry conference room here on the eve of the nation’s Victory Day. He said the anti-liberation forces list will be available at the ministry’s website- www.molwa.gov.bd

The Ministry of Liberation War said lists of more Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams or anti-liberation will be published in phases after proper scrutiny and examination.

“We are publishing the list of those Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams or anti-liberation elements who were appointed by the Pakistan government in 1971, after scrutinizing the old documents preserved at the home ministry,” he said.

The minister said efforts are underway to collect lists of Razakars from the then record room of different districts and those lists which were published from BG press during the period, he added.

The minister said none will be enlisted unfairly as no list will be published without cent percent confirmation.

“We had asked the deputy commissioners to send the old documents of the record rooms to the ministry. They were not asked to make any list. But we did not get expected response. We maybe get the records by next January,” he said.

He said efforts are underway to recover all the gazettes published in 1971.

The minister said the list of Razakars was published today to portray the true history and introduce the anti-liberation forces to our new generation.

Asked whether the list will be published as a gazette, he said if the nation demands or the government wants, the list can be published as a gazette.

In the press conference, the minister also published a draft list of freedom fighters and said actually the number of freedom fighters will not be more than 2.10 lakh.

After scrutinizing documents of the Upazila level, the final list of freedom fighters will be published by the next the Independence Day on March 26, 2020, he added.

The minister said that at present the number of freedom fighters is getting allowances is 2,01,461.

He said works are going on to publish a complete and single list of freedom fighters after compiling different lists.

The minister said many documents and records of Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al-Shams were destroyed in various ways as the anti-liberation forces stayed in the state power for a long time.

He said the present government is determined to bring the Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al-Shams to justice and as part of that the list was published today.

The minister said the people must need to know who was played what role in the Liberation War 1971 and that why the list was published.