Registration of BCS FF officers through legal battle!
It goes without saying that the War of Liberation is the most glorious and historical chapter which has no parallel in our national life. Bangladesh emerged out of nine months long Liberation War where freedom fighters in arms, who are regarded as the best sons of the nation, fought hand in hand with the population of Bangladesh except some sons of Mir Jafars and Quislings.
It is needless to emphasize that the War of Liberation was fought in the name of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who declared independence of Bangladesh in the first hour of 26 March 1971 soon after the crackdown of Pakistan army on armless people of Bangladesh on the fateful night of 25 March 1971.
Inspired by the clarion call of Bangabandhu, people from all walks of life took up arms in hands and relentlessly fought the war until the last member of the Pakistan army was made to surrender and brought to their knees at Race Course Maidan (Suhrawardy Udyan) on Victory Day of 16 December 1971, with the unfettered help and co-operation of Indian army who also fought hand in hand with the freedom fighters and made their supreme sacrifice in long nine months war at every nook and corner of occupied territory of Bangladesh.
Soon after the emergence of enemy free Bangladesh on Victory Day, the territory of Bangladesh was reduced to shambles with infrastructures totally ruined and the economy and public administration was on the brink of virtually collapsed.
Soon after the arrival of Bangabandhu as a free man from incarceration in free and independent Bangladesh on 10 January 1972, Bangabandhu had no time to look back and solely dedicated himself to reshape Bangladesh with bringing discipline in public administration and bringing country's shattered infrastructure and economy to right direction and order.
With a view to reshaping the country's fragile administrative setup, Bangabandhu decided to utilize the services of young university Graduates and Masters and recruit, from among the freedom fighters who then came back from the battle field and surrendered their arms on the feet of Bangabandhu with their spirit of Liberation War and unalloyed Patriotism still held high, through Public Service Commission (PSC).
With following due procedures of recruitment, 1,314 officers from among freedom fighters were qualified for recruitment and assigned with responsibilities in different branches of administration, police and other economic sectors with the rank and status of class-1 gazetted officer by the order of a towering personality no less than the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with due gazette notification.
Accordingly 1,314 freedom fighter officers joined the Bangladesh Civil Service, IMS Service, Foreign Service, Police Service, Railway Service, Postal Service, Secretariat Service etc. and largely contributed in shaping a new Bangladesh under the charismatic leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
After the brutal massacre and assassination of Bangabandhu on the fateful night of 15 December 1975, the wheel of the country rolled back to the blind alley of regression for long years and the freedom fighter officers fell victim to diabolic machination of successive governments not friendly with the spirit of Liberation War However, after long 21 years when the Liberation War friendly Awami League government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power, process of evaluating the performance of freedom fighters began with due recognition of their contribution towards reshaping Bangladesh.
Government of Sheikh Hasina introduced monthly allowances and other facilities to all registered freedom fighters and went further steps ahead to update a list of freedom fighters with following due procedures of scrutiny on the basis of available information with track records.
In following the registration procedures of scrutiny, the Ministry of Liberation War Affaires mingled up and generalized the status of 1,314 freedom fighter officers recruited by Bangabandhu's government in 1973 with rest of other freedom fighters and decided to put them once again together under hard gaze of general scrutiny towards finalizing the list of real freedom fighters who genuinely fought the Liberation War across the country.
Such move of the Ministry of Liberation War Affaires is ridiculous in the sense that freedom fighter BCS officers of 1973 batch who were recruited by the Public Service Commission (PSC) after proper verification and scrutiny and subsequently brought them to public service by the order of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, cannot be brought by any measure under the fold of further scrutiny towards registering their names in the list of freedom fighters.
This move on the part of the Ministry is not only ridiculous and flabbergasting but a direct assault on freedom fighter BCS officers of 1973 batch who, having inspired and deeply motivated by the call of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, are none other than the freedom fighters for all intents and purposes and who participated in our glorious war of Liberation and made their supreme sacrifices in their prime time of youth in making independent Bangladesh.
The Ministry's such myopic act is nothing but a blatant attempt to unsettle an issue which was duly settled by PSC by a gazette notification in 1973. It is equally tantamount to vitriolic disregard to BCS freedom fighter officers by the Ministry for mysterious reason beyond comprehension.
BCS Freedom Fighter Officers Welfare Association took up the above matter with the Ministry of Liberation War Affaires but have so far failed to convince the Ministry, who just gave a deaf ear to freedom fighter officers' loud voice, with the fact that the freedom fighter BCS officers of 1973 batch are dedicated, tested and verified freedom fighters by the PSC at the recruitment level and hence cannot be brought under the fold of cumbersome procedures of further scrutiny together with other freedom fighters across the country which commenced and now stands suspended under several legal orders for indefinite time and hung in limbo.
Finding no other alternatives to find a reasonable solution due to unfriendly and unkind attitude of the Ministry, the BCS Freedom Fighter Officers Welfare Association finally resorted to take the shelter of law and filed Writ Petition #1691/2017 with the honorable High Court Division for seeking redresses of the issue through judicial means and interference.
The Writ Petition in question is long pending for hearing and verdict. Meanwhile, many freedom fighter BCS officers whose names have not been registered in the existing list of freedom fighters have fallen victims of the circumstances and stand deprived of due recognition of freedom fighters by the present War of Liberation friendly government under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
It is sad that the BCS freedom fighter officers of 1973 batch, who fought the Liberation War without seeking any paltry material gain but for unmitigated love of the motherland, are to unfortunately realize their due rights of being recognized as freedom fighters and being registered in the government list through legal battle in the court of law.
With many freedom fighter BCS officers have already gone to the world of no return, in the meantime, over the years and many are now walking the twilight of life, it is desired that the living freedom fighter officers are given due respect by not dragging them to stand on long queue to face the hard gaze of disgraceful scrutiny and instead register the names of all 1,314 freedom fighter BCS officers in the list without question and further hassles, as they deserve, as the best sons of the nation.
Justice is hoped to be prevailed on this burning issue as and when the Writ Petition is heard with handing a verdict, but meanwhile, I urge upon Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a true friend of freedom fighters and lender of last resort, to kindly interfere on the matter outside the premises of the court of law towards upholding the pride and dignity of the 1,314 BCS freedom fighter officers of 1973 batch in the greater interest of the spirit of Liberation War that her government religiously bear in every steps of governance.
Source: https://dailyasianage.com