DHAKA: In a dramatic move though, Dhaka has decided to honour a number of Pakistani citizens for their invaluable contributions to the great Bangladesh Liberation War against their own country’s repressive regime way back in 1971.

To this end, the government has finalized a list of nineteen Pakistani personalities. Besides, there are names of more twenty-one Pakistani citizens on the draft list.

An inter-ministerial committee formed by the government has prepared the list of the foreign nationals who had made important contributions to the liberation war.

The selected Pakistani nationals include army personnel, politicians, poets, journalists and human rights activists who in 1971 took a commendable stand against the genocide carried out by the marauding Pakistani army.
“For this reason these Pakistani nationals had to face hard measures taken by the then Pakistan government in the form of termination from services, imprisonment and other sorts of repression,” a committee source said.

The committee has so far finalized a list of 120 foreign nationals of India, Pakistan, Russia, the United States, the UK, Australia, Ireland, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cuba, France, Japan, Myanmar, Yugoslavia, the Netherlands and Sweden to be decorated with awards. There are names of more 180 foreign dignitaries on the draft list.

Committee member and Secretary of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs Ujjal Bikash Dutta told banglanews Sunday, “Innumerable people of different sections across the world had contributions to our liberation war. There are many foreign nationals, including Air Vice-Marshal Asghar Khan of Pakistan, who sided with our freedom fight. We will honour them ceremonially.”  

Based  on the list received from the Ministries of Foreign and Liberation War affairs, the selected Pakistani nationals include former Air Chief and politician Asghar Khan, National Awami Party leader Khan Abdul Wali Khan, poet Foez Ahmed Foez (posthumous), Poet Ahmed Selim, Imtiaz Ahmed, human rights activist Nasim Aktar, Asma Jahangir, Tahera Majhar Ali, Hakim Yakub Azmali, president of Sindh Awami League Shaikh Mazharul Haque, Karachi Awami League president Khali Tirmizi, Syed Shahenshah Hussain, Shaikh Imtiaz Hussain Mufti, Keramat Mirza, Baser Naved, Yunus Riaz, Hamid Sayedee, Aga Masud Hussain and Sabihuddin Ghouri.

The draft list also includes the names of Bangabandhu’s friend G.M. Sayeed, poet  Shaikh Ayaz, poet M.R. Hassan, the then Awami League leader of NWFP Master Khan Gul, Beluchistan Awami League leader Khan Raisani, journalist I.A. Rahman, Mazhar Ali khan, Hamid Aktar, Abdullah Malik, Advocate Zafar Malik, Air Force officer Anowar Pirzada, Umar Asghar, Karachi National Awami Party leader B.M. Kutti and poet Habib Jalib.

Ujjal Bikash Dutta said, “About one hundred to one hundred and fifty foreign nationals who made immense contributions to our liberation war will be accorded reception here on next March 26 in connection with the 40th anniversary of our liberation war. The rest will be accorded reception later on or through our embassies of the respective countries. Of them, the notables might be conferred upon honorary citizenship.”

The Secretary said, “More than one hundred names have been finalized, but there are a few hundred names on the draft list and more new names are being added.”

The list will be finalized in the next meeting of the committee to be presided over by Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni.

Ujjal Bikash Dutta informed that the authorities are trying to find out those personalities of Africa and South America who lent their support to the liberation struggle. He further informed, “Our foreign missions have been instructed to prepare an account of the listed foreigners’ contributions to our liberation war along with their life-sketch.”

Meanwhile, work on the preparation of short life-sketch of the finally selected foreign nationals is going on.

BDST 2315 HRS, SEP 19, 2010