3m martyrs' figure might be an estimate: Hanif

Ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said on Friday the three million figure of the 1971 Liberation War martyrs might have been fixed on the basis of an estimation, not on any headcount as such.

The AL leader came up with the observation at the national council session of Bangladesh United Islami Party at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital.

"BNP, the ally of Jamaat-e-Islami, claims itself to be a pro-independence political party, but they are now criticising our liberation war. They have resorted to distorting the history of the liberation war. You know that about three million people were killed in the liberation war. Numerous bodies were strewn all over the country--be it rivers, or roads or ghats. The mark of genocide was everywhere. Thirty lakh people were killed, but the number of the martyrs is being called into question today," said Hanif.

Hanif's remarks came in an oblique reference to the BNP chief Khaleda Zia's question of the number of the 1971 Liberation War martyrs. Khaleda, at a discussion in the city on 21 December, said that there was a controversy over the actual number of martyrs during the country’s Liberation War.

The AL leader alleged, "The BNP and its ally Jamaat are echoing Pakistan to justify the misdeeds of Pakistan. Pakistan has recently claimed that they carried out no genocide in 1971. The BNP, by raising question about the number of killed in the genocide, are supporting Pakistan's contention."

He continued saying, "Three million is a huge number. It is not possible to name each of these three million people. Many genocides were carried out in different parts of the world, but the number of the people killed in those genocides was not counted on the basis of headcount. The figure was rather fixed on the basis of an estimation, not on an individual headcount."

Referring to the killing in the 1971 Liberation War, the ruling AL leader said, "The figure [30 lakh] might have been fixed on the basis of estimation, but the BNP has created a controversy over the figure."

He went on saying further, "BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in a planned manner has resorted to a conspiracy to distort the history of the liberation war by creating a controversy over the number of the liberation war martyrs."

He alleged Khaleda sided with Pakistan and was trying to misguide the people creating misgivings to divide the nation.

Hanif claimed that BNP and Jamaat are anti-liberation forces out to hinder Bangladesh's progress and prosperity. "At the instructions of Pakistan, BNP and Jamaat are trying to stop the steady trend of Bangladesh's development."

The AL leader was also critical of BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi for "criticising Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman."

He also warned BNP leaders including Rizvi against "showing the audacity to criticise Bangabandhu in future, otherwise the people of Bangladesh will give them a befitting reply."

Khaleda had said, “There's a lot of debate over the actual number of martyrs. It is said that such and such lakh [30 lakh or 3 million] embraced martyrdom during the war. How many martyrs are there in reality?"

In an oblique reference to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the BNP leader then said, “He didn’t want independence, he desired to be the prime minister of the erstwhile Pakistan. The country would not have been liberated unless Ziaur Rahman proclaimed independence.”

Later on 25 January, a sedition case was filed urging the court to issue an arrest warrant against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia for her remarks about the number of martyrs during the 1971 Liberation War and her remarks on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy last week called on the government to name all of the three million martyrs.