BNP leader Ishraque Hossain has said that the same law under which efforts are being made to try the Awami League should also have been applied to ensure a proper and effective trial for the genocide, rape, and looting committed in 1971.He made the remarks in a Facebook post on Saturday.In the post, Ishraq Hossain wrote: “The incidents of 1971 were even more horrific and gruesome. The trial of the crimes committed during that time was turned into a political weapon by Sheikh Hasina, aimed at suppressing the opposition. Had there been a neutral trial for the martyrs and the raped victims of that time, the nation would not be as divided as it is today.”He further stated: “Even after so many years, when we see that the killers and rapists of 1971, or their descendants, shamelessly claim that siding with the Pakistani occupation forces and deciding to commit murder and rape was justified, we understand how deep our misfortune runs. May Allah deliver justice to them—if not in this world, then certainly in the hereafter.”
He also said: “We shall not bow to the servitude of Rawalpindi, allegiance to Delhi, or any superpower like the United States, Russia, or China. There will always be some who exploit brokerage as a profession for their own benefit. This is a naked and despicable reality. Foreign powers only find opportunities to interfere when a nation is internally divided.”
The young BNP leader stated: “This division would not have been allowed to persist for a hundred years if we, as a nation, could set our priorities. Although the younger sibling political party and its older sibling leadership continue to follow the Awami League’s model of credit-snatching politics, the people had once stood up against Sheikh Hasina’s misrule.”
Ishraq Hossain further said: “Millions of students and families, millions of leaders and activists with their families, united and forced Hasina to flee. But later, the spirit and sacrifices of that movement were sold out by a few coordinators, advisers, and leaders of the NCP. Sheikh Hasina herself is now the perfect example of what the consequences of that could be.”