JAMUKA Amendment Bill Passed: Jamaat Objects While NCP Supports

Minister for Liberation War Affairs, Ahmed Azam Khan, moved the bill on Thursday (April 9), and it was subsequently passed by a voice vote. Despite strong objections from the Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, their alliance partner, the National Citizen's Party (NCP), extended written support for the bill.

During the session, the Opposition Leader delivered a lengthy speech objecting to the bill but failed to specify which sections or clauses he sought to amend. Consequently, the Speaker proceeded without a formal vote on his objections. Previously, in the special committee's report, Jamaat MPs had submitted a 'note of dissent,' arguing that identifying active political parties as collaborators is unjustified and mirrors fascist politics. They also called for a redefinition of 'Freedom Fighters' and the 'War of Liberation.' However, the final bill remains unchanged, providing clear definitions for martyrs, their families, and the collaborators of the 1971 war.