None can stop war crimes trial, says AL
No power in the world could prevent trials of individuals detained in jail on charges of crimes against humanity during Bangaladesh's Liberation War in 1971, said ruling Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday.
"We have a commitment to the people to hold the trials, and we will fulfil it at any cost," he said at a media briefing in AL President Sheikh Hasina's political office in Dhanmondi of the capital.
"Many say that there are pressures on us from foreign countries not to hold the trials. I can assure you that there is no such pressure on us. All countries of the globe, even Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in favour of the trials," said Ashraf also the local government, rural development and cooperatives minister.
"The world humanity wants Bangladesh to hold the trials for the heinous crimes," he added.
Alleging that yesterday's hartal was enforced to hinder the trials of war criminals, the ruling party spokesperson said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Jamaat-e-Islami are solely responsible for calling the hartal in the name of protesting the recent fuel price hike.
Ashraf said fuel prices were increased in line with the international market trend. If the prices in Bangladesh would be lesser than they are in India, then smugglers would certainly smuggle fuel to the neighbouring country.
The BNP leadership knows the reality behind the fuel price hike, and enforcement of the hartal even after knowing the reality proves BNP's political bankruptcy, said the AL leader.
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