নিচের রিপোর্টটি আজকের 'ডেইলি স্টার'এ প্রকাশিত হয়েছে। রিপোর্টটি পড়ে স্তম্ভিত হতে হয়, এদেশে এমন চিন্তা-চেতনার মানুষও আছে! এমন ধৃষ্ঠতা এদের হয় কিভাবে?
লক্ষ বীর মুক্তিসেনার রক্তে রাঙানো এদেশের মাটির সামনে লজ্জায় মাথা নত হয়ে যায়। ৩৬ বছর পরও ওই নরপশুদের বিচার নিয়ে আমাদের মাঝের বিতর্ক, দ্বিধাদ্বন্দই সুযোগ করে দেয় এমন আস্ফালনের।

Demand for war criminals' trial unconstitutional
Ex-energy adviser Mahmudur says
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Staff Correspondent

Former energy adviser Mahmudur Rahman yesterday said those who call for a ban on religion-based politics are speaking against the constitution, as the present government's only constitutional mandate is to hold elections.

He also said people do not have the luxury to think about trying war criminals or banning religion-based politics as they are preoccupied with rising prices of essentials and unemployment.

Terming the two demands "Good demands made by the wrong people at the wrong time," Mahmudur said, "According to the constitution, the caretaker government's only job is to hold elections. It would be unconstitutional to demand that they be burdened with additional work."

"Under special circumstances their mandate has been expanded. They will have to bear the responsibility for it," he said, adding, "People are helpless under pressures from inflation and there are no jobs in the country. There is no bigger crisis for the people right now."

He was speaking as the chief guest at a roundtable organised by University Teachers Forum of Bangladesh, Jamaat-e-Islami-leaning teachers association, at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.

At the same roundtable, Bangladesh Islamic University (BIU) Dean of Law AMB Mahbubul Islam said, "There needs to be a war for war criminals to exist. But, the war here was between Pakistan and India. Bangladesh was not part of that war. Hence there has never been a war criminal in Bangladesh."

BIU Vice-chancellor M Korban Ali said certain quarters are trying to foil the caretaker government's agenda to hold free and fair elections and eliminate corruption.

Dhaka University Banking Department Chair M Mujahidul Islam added, "Those who do not know anything about history or development are pointlessly trying to destabilise the country by making provocative comments."

International Islamic University of Chittagong, Dhaka campus teacher M Abdus Samad said, "Those who are making cheap and controversial slogans demanding the trial of war criminals, are the real anti-liberation force. They should be tried because they have not tried war criminals for the last 36 years."

National University Political Science Lecturer M Abu Yusuf alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda is trying to provoke conflict instead of building national unity.