Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has expressed regret after facing backlash for a comment comparing the atrocities committed during the Liberation War with the actions of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her Awami League government and her allies during the July uprising.
He made the remark on Tuesday afternoon at a discussion and exhibition focused on justice for those killed during the uprising. The statement sparked widespread criticism on social media within hours.
At 7:31pm, Asif Nazrul made a post on Facebook, saying it was inappropriate to compare Hasina’s brutality with that of the Pakistani military during the 1971 war.
He later confirmed to BBC Bangla that the Facebook account is his.
In the post, he wrote: “Sheikh Hasina’s brutality is beyond belief. Burning dead and injured people, indiscriminate killing of women, adolescents, and children, gunning down civilians from helicopters, shooting a young man writhing in pain, and ordering killings by denying treatment at hospitals—all of these were committed under her command.”
He noted that such actions would be considered grave crimes even in wartime.
“But even then, it was not right of me to compare her brutality with the atrocities committed by the Pakistani military against the people of Bangladesh in 1971. Both are heinous crimes.
“To those who felt I downplayed the Pakistani army’s genocide during 1971—I express my sincere regret,” wrote Asif Nazrul.