The cabinet yesterday decided that posts in different offices reserved for dependents of freedom fighters will remain vacant if eligible candidates could not be found to fill the 30 percent quota in each of such offices.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the House today that the government has undertaken various steps for the greater welfare of distressed Freedom Fighters as well as families of the martyred Freedom Fighters in view of their supreme contribution in the War of Liberation.
In an ironic move, Jamaat-e-Islami accorded a reception and gave award to five Muktijoddhas (freedom fighters) yesterday, 38 years after the birth of Bangladesh. This party had termed freedom fighters traitors and miscreants during the Liberation War in 1971, and called for killing them. Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad, a Jamaat patronised organisation, organised the reception at a city hotel.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina has said process is underway to declare all the national award-winning and war-wounded freedom fighters as the very important persons. ‘Besides, freedom fighters will be allowed to take free journey in buses, trains and launches,’ she said. Hasina, who is also in-charge of defence ministry, was addressing a reception accorded to gallantry award-winning freedom fighters and their successors at Senakunja at Dhaka cantonment marking Armed Forces Day 2009 on Saturday. The reception was attended by 35 freedom fighters from the three services and 11 civil freedom fighters and their successors.
The government has taken initiatives to introduce 30 percent quota for the children of freedom fighters in the recruitment rules for assistant judges. The initiative was taken, as a number of candidates from the families of freedom fighters could not qualify in the examinations for the offices of assistant judges.
The High Court today declared illegal the past four-party alliance government’s decision to stop paying allowances to 366 war-wounded freedom fighters.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, said on Saturday her government will take steps so that freedom fighters aged 65 years and above can travel on buses, rails and launches free of cost.
A murder case was filed against 11 alleged Pakistan army collaborators and around 25 unknown people at Morelganj in Bagerhat on charges of killing two freedom fighters during the war of independence.
The process of holding trial of 1971 war criminals will begin on April 8 with the appointment of the chief investigating officer.
UN Resident Coordinator Renata Lok-Dessallien during a meeting with Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed and Home Minister Adv Sahara Khatun today proposed to send experts in assisting the government to hold the trial.
Amra Muktijoddhar Santan, a platform of sons and daughters of freedom fighters in Rajshahi, yesterday formed a human chain and held a rally at Shaheb Bazar zero point in the city demanding trial of war criminals.
They also demanded trial and punishment of people who tortured and attacked freedom fighters and their families during BNP-Jamaat government.
