Lawmaker questions Jamaat's role in 1971 war, urges higher freedom fighter allowance

Noakhali-2 lawmaker Zainul Abdin Farroque on Saturday urged the Parliament to reflect on the killings of martyred intellectuals during the 1971 Liberation War. He questioned the stance of Jamaat-e-Islami during the war and who was responsible for the intellectuals' deaths on the eve of victory.

Farroque stated that Jamaat MP Shahjahan Chowdhury had criticized Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed's comments, but insisted that Islam should not be debated. He then directed the focus to the 1971 war, asking members to "judge for yourselves where you stood in 1971." He pointed to the Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard in Mirpur as a reminder of who "tried to render Bangladesh brainless."

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judge for yourselves where you stood in 1971. We need not remind you. Just look toward the Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard in Mirpur. Who carried out those killings on the eve of independence? Who tried to render Bangladesh brainless? Reflect on that.

The article details how the Pakistani army, with local collaborators, abducted and killed intellectuals, who were seen as guiding lights for Bengalis. These killings intensified in the days leading up to December 16, 1971, aiming to cripple the nation intellectually. The Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladesh's independence, had its student wing, Islami Chhatra Sangha, collaborate with the Pakistani military through the Al-Badr militia to carry out these systematic abductions and murders.

Farroque also highlighted the contributions of freedom fighters, stating that the nation owes its current ability to present budgets to their sacrifices. He humbly requested an increase in allowances for freedom fighters, suggesting this would etch their names in golden letters in history. While acknowledging the July Uprising martyrs and injured, he stressed that the legacy of 1971 should not be forgotten.

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Therefore, through you, [speaker] I humbly request: at least increase the allowance for freedom fighters, so that your name is inscribed in golden letters in Bangladesh’s history.