Bangladesh

'Keep Liberation War spirit alive'

By Helal Khan

Mediapersons have urged the people to unite in preserving the spirit of Bangladesh's War of Independence.
They made this appeal while recalling their role in the Ganajagaran Mancha's year-long movement demanding the maximum punishment for all warcriminals.
They were addressing a gathering at Shahbagh crossway, marking the movement's first anniversary.
Journalists from media houses said many had debated the question of their neutrality at the time of joining the movement.
"But the Shahbagh movement is a movement of the Liberation War spirit... and that spirit is part of our existence. Neutrality is out of the question when it comes to the matter of existence."
The stir had begun in February last year after a large number of peoplefound the life imprisonment given to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla's 'too light' a punishment in view of the nature of war crimes he hadcommitted in 1971.
ATN News Assistant News Editor Provash Amin said, "When I joined the movement, I ceased to be a journalist. I became one of the activists."
He said that, as journalists, they were neutral but it was impossible to remain so when truth and independence were at stake
ATN Bangla Chief News Editor ZE Mamun said journalists had long beendemanding the trial of suspected war criminals out of their sense of responsibility.
Remembering the times, Desh TV Special Correspondent NazrulKabir said, "It would have been a crime to not join this movement fromour own sense of responsibility towards the country."
He said, during the Liberation War, there were journalists whohad shed their blood for the country. Among them were the likes ofShahidullah Kaiser, Abu Taleb and Siraj Uddin Hossain.
There were also those, Kabir added, who had gone about in the guise of journalists like Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan, helping the enemy to kill the intellectuals. Likewise, he said, there were journalists today who were for the Liberation War, independence, and thecountry, while there were others who were against independence and were ready to dub the young generation's non-violent movementas 'fascist'.
Special Correspondent of Dhaka Tribune Zulfikar Ali Manik said it was not a party movement but one that represented Bangladesh. "So, mediapersons took part in it just as they had done in the 1971 Liberation War."
Media participation in this was part of that continuing tradition andwas only natural, he emphasised.
Manik stressed the need to remove all confusion among the youth byremoving distortions to the history of the war.
NTV journalist Promothesh Shil said the media may have a guiding principle, but when it came to the Ganajagaran Mancha movement, it stood together for the ideals of the Liberation War.
Reporters and journalists from many other media houses including bdnews24.com Assistant Editor Raju Alauddin also addressed the gathering moderated by Ganajagaran Mancha organiser Maruf Rosul. Earlier, cultural programmes were held from 3pm onwards. Cultural organisations from various parts of the country sang patriotic songs, songs that had been once broadcast by war-time Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, and lyrics dedicated to the Shahbagh movement.
Around 7pm, mediapersons began reminiscing about their roles during theShahbagh movement.