Ministry making separate list of Razakars who signed up to save their own lives: Mozammel Haque

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque has said the ministry is working on categorising the Razakars based on their motivation during the 1971 Liberation War. 

"While some of the Razakars actively collaborated with the Pakistani forces, there are those who had to enlist their names only to save their lives," the minister said after the third day of the Deputy Commissioner Conference 2024 held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on this morning (5 March).

"There is a separate committee to handle the list of Razakars. However, when attempting to release the government list, it was observed that it included the names of many people in favour of the war. This sparked public outcry," said Mozammel. 

"Despite the protests, their names were documented. We have now divided the list into two parts to address this issue," he added. 

The first part of the list includes those who actively participated in being Razakar, and the second part focuses on those who signed up as Razakar to save their lives, the minister said.

"The first type includes those who actively collaborated with the Pakistani forces. They showed them the way, assisting in arson and looting and even taking up arms to fight against the freedom fighters.

"The second type includes those who registered as Razakars to save their lives, possibly lacking any other viable option. There is many confusion and debate regarding these two groups, making it a complex issue," he added.