Speakers demand full implementation of the spirit of the Liberation War

Speakers of a national dialogue today were of the opinion that the rights of the members of the religious minorities and the small aborigine groups could not be established without full implementation of the spirit of the Liberation War.

Demanding a halt to repression on religious minorities and their dignified position in the society, they also held the opinion that the political rights of the anti-liberation forces including the Jamaat should be cancelled once and for all in Bangladesh.

The eminent personalities said this while participating at a national dialogue organised by Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad at CIRDAP auditorium in the city to drum up support in favour of the 7-point demand of the country's religious minorities and small aborigine groups.

One of the presidents of the Oikya Parishad Ushatan Talukdar, MP, chaired the dialogue, also addressed, among others, by Awami League Advisory Council member Suranjit Sengupta, presidium member and Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim, Workers' Party president Rashed Khan Menon, chairman of the Regional Council for Chittagong Hill Tracts Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma (Santu Larma), BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Samyabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) general secretary Shirin Akhter, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) general secretary Khalequzzaman, president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Muzahidul Islam Selim, acting president of Nirmul Committee Shahriar Kabir, eminent journalist and columnist Kamal Lohani, former adviser to the caretaker government Sultana Kamal and founder of Ganoswasthya Kendro Dr Zafarullah Chowdhury. Oikya Parishad general secretary Advocate Rana Dasgupta moderated the dialogue.

Suranjit Sengupta said, "In accordance with the country's population, proportionate representation of the religious minorities should be ensured in all the sectors including in the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament). Equal representation should be kept for them in the state and the administration with establishment of their basic rights."

Mohammad Nasim said, "Those who unleashed repression and attacks on the religious minorities should not become representative of any party and they are not the citizens of Bangladesh. Despite all the impediments, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is trying its level best to solve the problem in this regard."

The minister termed as unfortunate for not expressing any protest by BNP against the role of Pakistan and Turkey over the war crimes trial in Bangladesh although war criminals are being tried in many countries round the world without interference of other countries.

Rashed Khan Menon said, "We couldn't build a complete secular country as yet. In that case, the conflicting clause in the Constitution should be repealed. We need national unity for the purpose. We had to digest pressure from the United States and Britain on the plea of security arrangement at the airport (Hazrat Shahjalal) as if there are terrorist outfits here. But, flights were not cancelled after terror attack at Brussels."

At the outset of the dialogue, the 7-point demand of the Oikya Parishad was placed which include its proportionate empowerment and representation, removal of constitutional disparity and in educational system, equal rights and status, enactment and execution of interest-friendly laws, coming out of culture of indemnity and building a secular Bangladesh on the spirit of war of liberation that would be free from fanaticism and terrorism.

Source: BSS.