‘Reconciliation’ in manifestos, absent from discussions

Several political parties had pledged in their manifestos for the 13th parliamentary election to form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to resolve conflict, discord and divisions in the country. The initiative was intended to establish a forward-looking political culture and reconciliation in place of a politics of vengeance and retaliation.

However, six months have passed since the parliamentary election, and no such commission has been formed. There has not even been any discussion of the issue in parliament or in the political arena.

A review of the election manifestos shows that the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party (NCP) pledged to establish such a commission in the latest national election. The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami called it a Truth and Healing Commission, while the NCP pledged to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Earlier, in its manifesto for the 11th parliamentary election in 2018, the Jatiya Oikya Front had pledged to form an “all-party truth-finding and reconciliation commission.”

Political parties say the government has been in office for six months and there is still time. Besides, the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, has not yet admitted to any wrongdoing. Instead, the party continues to issue threats. Under such circumstances, they say, it is not possible to form such a commission.

Political analysts say the interim government had also talked about such a commission. Various political parties subsequently included similar pledges in their manifestos. But these remain merely “words on paper.” No one appears to be taking them seriously.

During the 1971 Liberation War, crimes against humanity, including rape, torture and genocide, were committed against the people of this land. Some people from this territory collaborated with the Pakistanis in the destruction. Later, during the rule of various governments, including the Awami League, many people were subjected to enforced disappearance, killings and torture. In July and August 2024, the people of this land again became victims of serious abuses, killings, genocide and other crimes against humanity.

Following the July mass uprising, the interim government banned the Awami League’s activities, a ban that remains in force. Many of the party’s leaders and activists are in hiding, while others have left the country. Social divisions have existed in Bangladesh since its birth and have become increasingly pronounced over time. Against this backdrop, various quarters have been calling for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission primarily to end violence and build national unity.

The interim government was formed after the fall of the Awami League government in the mass uprising of 5 August, 2024. During the interim government’s tenure, a discussion was held at the Judicial Administration Training Institute on 10 May, 2025, on the second draft of the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance, 2025. Poet and political thinker Farhad Mazhar said at the meeting, “If you try to prosecute those involved in these disappearances, this interim government will not sustain. That is the reality.… We have to look at the experiences of other countries and see how they resolved this. They resolved it by setting up a separate commission through a Truth and Justice Commission.”

At the meeting, then interim government Law Adviser Asif Nazrul also spoke about forming a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He said the government would establish such a commission. This nation will not be liberated by fighting among ourselves forever, he said adding, stressing the need to build national unity.

He also said it would probably have been better if such an initiative had existed since 1972. Those responsible for heinous crimes such as genocide and crimes against humanity are not very numerous, he said, and they must be appropriately punished. He added that the commission should be formed, among other reasons, to establish that those perpetrators had become alienated from the mainstream of the nation.

To gain experience about Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, then Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and then Law Adviser Asif Nazrul visited South Africa in May that year. The interim government, however, did not take the matter any further.

In its manifesto for the 13th parliamentary election held on February 12, the BNP pledged to establish a Truth and Healing Commission. It said, “The BNP wants to establish a new, forward-looking political culture in place of a politics of vengeance and retaliation. The BNP believes nation-building means not merely running the state, but also building a common national identity by overcoming divisions. Ending political and social divisions on the basis of Bangladeshi nationalism—our one identity is that we are all Bangladeshis.”

Jamaat-e-Islami, which also pledged to establish a Truth and Healing Commission, said in its manifesto that a task force would be formed for this purpose with representation from various sections of Bangladeshi society and technical assistance from the United Nations. Through this initiative, the party said, the truth about human rights violations committed over the past 15 years would be uncovered and a new chapter would be opened for the nation.

The NCP said in its manifesto that exemplary punishment would be ensured for all crimes against humanity committed during the period of “Awami fascism,” including the genocide, the Shapla massacre, the BDR killings, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. It also pledged to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Such a commission had also been proposed earlier as a means of establishing national unity. In its manifesto for the 11th parliamentary election in 2018, the Jatiya Oikya Front said, “The goal is national unity, not vengeance or vindictiveness.” It said that over the previous 10 years, unimaginable authoritarianism and the use of police as party cadres had resulted in thousands of false cases, enforced disappearances, killings, extortion through cases and extrajudicial killings, leaving hundreds of thousands of families angry and devastated. To resolve these problems and establish social peace, the alliance pledged to form an “all-party truth-finding and reconciliation commission” comprising eminent academics, social workers and lawyers. It said the commission would seek to resolve harassment cases filed against political opponents through open discussions, forgiveness and compensation.

At the time, the Jatiya Oikya Front was formed under the leadership of Dr Kamal Hossain, bringing together the BNP, Gono Forum, JSD and Nagorik Oikya. The Krishak Sramik Janata League later joined the alliance. The Oikya Front emerged as a major opposition alliance in that election, although it became inactive after the election.

An attempt was made to find out what political parties currently think about a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. BNP Acting Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi recently told Prothom Alo that the formation of a Truth and Healing Commission is included in the BNP’s election manifesto. It was included after careful consideration. The BNP is moving ahead with implementing its other manifesto pledges, he said, adding that this one would also be implemented gradually.

Parliament has seen discussions on many issues so far. Why, then, has there been no discussion about forming a Truth and Healing Commission? Asked about this, Rizvi said he is not a member of parliament. “I cannot say why those who are MPs have not raised the issue yet,” he said.

Jamaat-e-Islami had said it would establish such a commission if it came to power. The party’s Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar told Prothom Alo that Jamaat-e-Islami would undertake many initiatives if entrusted with running the government, as outlined in its manifesto. This is one of those initiatives that cannot be undertaken without being in government. Asked why the issue had not been discussed in parliament, Mia Golam Parwar said only one parliamentary session had taken place. “Everything is not over yet. We have to be patient and see what happens,” he said.

NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar told Prothom Alo that they have spoken about a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and continue to do so at various times. But the Awami League is still carrying out sporadic attacks, setting fire to places including July memorials, issuing threats, creating security risks and describing July as a conspiracy. If they continue doing these things, Truth and Reconciliation is not possible.

Noting that Truth and Reconciliation begins with an admission of wrongdoing, Sarwar Tushar said the Awami League would have to acknowledge its mistakes. That is the first step. Nothing is possible before that. But anything like that is yet to be seen. There are still groups supporting the Awami League in society, he noted, adding that if they want the Awami League to return to politics, the party would first have to say that it acknowledges its mistakes.

Various countries around the world have established commissions to uncover the truth and restore relationships after prolonged conflicts, as part of efforts to establish peace and make democratic transitions. South Africa is one such country. After more than 300 years of racial rule, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or TRC, played a crucial role in establishing democratic governance in South Africa.

The apartheid system was introduced in South Africa in 1948. From then on, anti-apartheid organisations, including the African National Congress (ANC), intensified their movements. At one point, the ANC launched an armed struggle.

The ANC was led by Nelson Mandela, the undisputed leader of the anti-apartheid movement. After 27 years in prison, he was released by the government on 11 February, 1990, amid national and international pressure. However, white minority and apartheid rule remained in place. His release therefore marked the beginning of a difficult road ahead.

Mandela focused on protecting the rights of all from the very day of his release, setting aside thoughts of revenge, as recounted in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. Mandela wrote that after being released from prison after 27 years, his convoy travelled to Cape Town via rural roads to avoid the unexpected crowds. Having heard the news on the radio, many white families stood along those roads to welcome him. Some raised their clenched right fists in salute. Mandela was surprised by the show of solidarity from the white families.

At one point, Mandela stopped the convoy and thanked one white family, saying that their support had greatly inspired him. The experience made him realise that he was entering a South Africa very different from the country he had left behind when he went to prison. That same day, Mandela delivered a historic speech at Cape Town City Hall, conveying a message of peace, democracy and freedom for all.

Nelson Mandela became president in South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994. In 1995, his government enacted legislation on the promotion of national unity and reconciliation, under which the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or TRC, was established that same year.

Seventeen commissioners were appointed to the TRC. An independent selection panel comprising representatives of all political parties, civil society and religious organisations selected the commissioners through public interviews. The president appointed the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the commission.

The commissioners were tasked with investigating human rights violations committed between 1960 and 1994, hearing testimony from victims, granting amnesty to perpetrators, producing an impartial historical record and developing policies for compensation. Three committees were formed to fulfil these objectives: the Human Rights Violations Committee, the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee, and the Amnesty Committee.

The TRC received more than 22,000 written complaints from people who had suffered persecution. These complaints revealed serious human rights violations during apartheid, including torture, killings, disappearances, abductions and extreme acts of inhumanity. Hearings involving victims and perpetrators were held publicly.

More than 7,000 applications for amnesty were submitted to the TRC. Hearings were held on more than 2,500 of them, and nearly 1,500 applicants were granted amnesty. The South African TRC published its first report in 1998, revealing the truth about human rights violations during the apartheid era.

Because it included provisions for amnesty for past crimes, South Africa’s TRC differed from the Nuremberg trials. The Nuremberg trials, it may be noted, prosecuted senior Nazi officials in Germany after World War II. Following the success of the commission, black and white South Africans have continued to live alongside one another while avoiding conflict.

South Africa’s TRC came to be recognised internationally as a new model. Subsequently, many countries established TRCs to promote peace and democracy, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Ghana, Guatemala, Peru, East Timor and Morocco.

While Truth and Reconciliation Commissions have been widely established in other countries in response to mass killings and torture, Bangladesh once established a similar commission to rehabilitate corrupt individuals in society.

After a military-backed caretaker government took office in January 2007, it launched an anti-corruption drive. Around 70,000 people were arrested and detained in prison at the time for corruption and various other social offences. Against this backdrop, the then government established the Truth and Accountability Commission, or Truth Commission, on 30 July, 2008.

The three-member commission, headed by former justice Habibur Rahman Khan, had a five-month mandate. Corrupt individuals would appear before the commission and confess to their offences. They would then deposit their illicit money, or a specified portion of it, into the state treasury. They would subsequently be granted amnesty, while their identities were kept confidential.

However, following a writ petition, the High Court declared the Truth Commission illegal on 13 November, 2008. The Awami League government that subsequently came to power also did not recognise the commission. On 1 April, 2009, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina disclosed in parliament a list of 448 people who had confessed before the Truth Commission and received exemption from liability for corruption.

In other words, the commission was an attempt to rehabilitate those individuals in society by granting them amnesty and freeing them from corruption charges.

Professor Anu Muhammad, a member of the Democratic Rights Committee, said if violence continues in the country and grievances remain unresolved, these things create uncertainty and instability in society in the long term. He said such grievances are passed down from generation to generation. Hatred, hostility and vengeance create a crisis of thought and empathy in society.

“That is why a solution is needed. We need to uncover the truth and reach a point of reconciliation.”

Various political parties have been talking about this issue, he said, and the interim government also spoke about it. But these remain merely words. No one seems to be taking the matter seriously.

Anu Muhammad believes everything needs to be resolved. Society accumulates many historical wounds over time. If we do not heal all these historical wounds, it will be difficult to move forward.