Separate lists of freedom fighters (FFs) and anti-liberation force, razakars, are expected to be published on March 26, on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the great independence of Bangladesh.

Sources in the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs say, the government is going to publish a fresh list of 2,10,000 freedom fighters. But the number of total razakars could not be known as yet although the government earlier on December 15 last year published an incomplete list of 10,789 razakars through the Ministry of Liberation War.

The complete list of the razakars is expected to be published on March 26 this year.

AKM Mozammel Huq, Minister for Liberation War Affairs, said the government will publish a list of 210,000 freedom fighters on March 26 on the occasion of Independence Day.

The minister also said on the same day another list of razakars will also be published.

Talking about the list of the freedom fighters, the minister said, the process of the verification of both the list of freedom fighters and razakars is going on.

According to the Ministry, a list of 55,000 freedom fighters would be screened as they had been enlisted during the regimes of the last BNP and Awami League from the period of 2002-2014 without following the National Freedom Fighters Council Act-2002.

In this regard, the government also has formed a 4-member committee in each upazila for the verification process and confirmation purpose, the sources added.

NFFC Director General (DG) Zahurul Islam Sohel earlier said, “Thousands of people were enlisted in the gazette as freedom fighters illegally during the period from 2002 to 2014. Therefore, the government has decided to form a four-member committee in each upazila to check and verify their certificates and other documents.”

“The NFFC has also formulated a policy in this regard. This initiative has been taken in a bid to preserve the correct history of the liberation war by identifying the fake freedom-fighters and compiling an accurate and precise list of the real heroic freedom fighters,” said the NFFC DG.

According to the NFFC, over 44,000 people were enlisted in the gazette as FFs from 2002 to 2006 during the BNP regime, while 11,000 others from 2009 to 2014 during the Awami League regime. But those 55,000 people were enlisted in the gazette as the FFs without following the procedures properly.  

The NFFC official sources also said that although the list of FFs has not yet been finalized even after 49 years of the independence, at present the number of gazetted FFs is more or less 2,31,385. Of them, 1,87,293 people are getting allowances as FFs. Each of them is getting Tk 12,000 as monthly honorarium.

Talking about the verification and selection committee, officials of the NFFC said the committees in the upazila or metropolitan levels will be formed in coordination with local freedom-fighters.

At the upazila level, the head of the verification committee will be a local lawmaker if she or he is a freedom fighter. If the local lawmaker is not a FF, then the NFFC will select a local FF as the committee chief, who was enlisted in the Indian list or whose name was published in the ‘Lal Muktibarta’ or who was a commander during the War of Liberation in 1971.

The member secretary of the committee will be the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (ONO). If he or she is on leave, the Assistant Commissioner (Land) will be the member secretary of the committee.

Besides, one of the members will be selected by the local lawmaker while another by the Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned. But both the selected members must be enlisted in the Indian list or whose names were published in the ‘Lal Muktibarta’ or who were the commanders during the War of Liberation.

Accordingly, in the cities, the chief of the committee will be nominated by the NFFC. But he or she must be enlisted in the Indian list or whose name was published in the ‘Lal Muktibarta’ or who was the commander during the War of Liberation. The member secretary of the committee will be the local additional DC and two of its members will be selected from the local freedom-fighters.

An official of the NFFC said that the freedom fighters trained inside the country would have to be certified by three other freedom-fighters trained in India. Besides, he has to prove that he had fought against the Pakistani forces.

As per the policy, those who had taken part in the war after December 3 in 1971 will not be enlisted in the gazette.

However, several categories of FFs will remain out of the process of verification and selection. Freedom fighters in the Indian list, the Martyrs Civil Gazette prepared by the Welfare Trust and whose names are in the Armed Forces Martyrs Gazette will not be verified.

Besides, BGB Martyrs Gazette, War Wound