The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has suspended the recently-published Razakar list following widespread controversy and criticism involving massive flaws in it and will publish the revised list by 26 March. A press release of the ministry said this on Wednesday. A list of 10,789 Razakars, collaborators of Pakistani occupation force during the War of Liberation in 1971, published by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs on its official website on 15 December last, created immediate huge controversy and criticism as names of many freedom fighters’ including prominent ones like chief prosecutor of International Crimes Tribunal Golam Arif Tipu were also enlisted.
Following extensive controversy and criticism over the flawed list, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque on Tuesday regretted and hinted withdrawal of the list. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting at the Awami League president's office at Dhanmondi on Wednesday asked the Liberation War Affairs Ministry to correct the flawed list.
“Prime Minister has asked the liberation war affairs ministry to correct the mistakes in list and scrutinise it properly, and publish the list immediately,” Obaidul Quader, Awami League general secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister, told reporters following the meeting. Sources said that the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs decided to suspend the Razakars’ list following the Prime Minister’s instruction.
On 15 December, on occasion of publishing the Razakars’ list, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said, “In the first phase, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs published the list of 10,789 Razakars reviewing the documents of the home ministry.” He also said more list will be published in phases after proper scrutiny and examination.
“More names and addresses of the Razakars, Al Shams and Al Badrs in details will be uploaded to the website of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs soon,” he said.
“Many records of the War of Liberation were removed during the rule of BNP-Jamaat. We are also working to collect list from the record rooms of different districts, and those lists that were published from BG press during the period,” he said. No name will be published in the list without being hundred percent certain. Nobody will be enrolled unjustly, he added.
“We have published the names of those who were appointed by Pakistan government as Razakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams or anti-liberation force following the old documents preserved in the Ministry of Home Affairs,” the minister said. “The DCs were asked to send the old documents preserved in the district offices. They were not asked to prepare the list. However, the response was not up to the expectation,” he also said.
However, after publishing the flawed list, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal had said that the Liberation Affairs Ministry should have scrutinised the list properly before publishing it. He further said that the list was not prepared as per the documents provided by the Home Ministry.