Many among the panellists and audience of a dialogue styled BBC Bangladesh Sanglap on saturday expressed apprehension that the ongoing war crimes trial might not continue if the BNP came to power in the next general election.
They said the opposition might stop the trial as two accused facing war crimes cases are from the BNP while most of the remainders from its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami.
Majority of the participants, however, opined that the BNP should continue the trial process for the sake of justice and its party image.
“Speaking as a common citizen, I must say the BNP should let the trial process continue for the sake of their future politics and building positive image. As the founder of the party was a freedom fighter, they need to take a clear stand on the issue,” said panellist Prof Dr Amena Mohsin of international relations department at Dhaka University.
“The culture of impunity should be stopped,” she asserted.
BNP chief’s Adviser Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, one of the four panellists, defended his party saying that the BNP would try the “real war criminals” in future and that it would be transparent, impartial and of international standard.
Mahbub, also vice-president of Bangladesh Bar Council, said: “Each and every person plaintiff and witness except for the judges will be tried.”
The Supreme Court lawyer shortly after the conviction of BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury on Tuesday made the same remark. Later, prosecution of the tribunal brought contempt charges against him.
Another panellist State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam said the leak of a part of the draft verdict in Salauddin Quader case was a part of the conspiracy about a vested quarter who had been trying to lead the trial into controversy.
He also questioned the professional ethics of the BNP lawyer. Quamrul said such “derogatory remarks” against the court was unexpected from a person who had been a public prosecutor of the 1973 tribunals formed to try war criminals as per the Collaborators Act.
On this issue, Mahbub replied saying that the two courts were not similar.
As panellist, Dhaka Tribune’s Special Correspondent Julfikar Ali Manik pointed out that the country had no such culture where a party put its own leaders on dock yet.
At the discussion, the audience comprising mainly youths suggested that the two political parties must come to a permanent solution so that no political stagnancy occurred in future before every national polls.
Both Mahbub and Kamrul said that they were ready to “compromise a little” in their firm stance over the interim government issue.
