Govt to preserve oral history of Liberation War

FT ONLINE

The government has a plan to preserve the oral history of the Liberation War of 1971 by recording wartime experience of the living freedom fighters .

"We have taken a programme titled 'Beerer Konthe Beergatha' to preserve the oral history of the Liberation War after recording statements of all the living freedom fighters with a view to letting people particularly the young generation know the true history of the war," Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque told newsmen on Monday.

"Upon successful completion of the programme, the country will get a complete and true history of the Liberation War, as the history of the entire country's war will come up through statements of the freedom fighters," he added saying this will end distortion of the history.

When asked about the number of living freedom fighters, he confirmed, "The number of living freedom fighters is 1.31 lakh as per their names who receive allowances at present."

"A proposal to this purpose has already been sent to the Finance Ministry a week ago for its final approval," Md. Mominur Rahman, assistant chief, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, said.

The ministry has a target to complete the programme within one year from July 2018 while Taka seven crore has been earmarked as expenses for completing the projects, he added.

While talking to newsmen noted historian Prof Dr Muntassir Mamoon welcomed the government move to preserve oral history of the Liberation War likewise different other countries of the globe aimed at letting people particularly the young generation know the true history of the 1971 liberation war.

He, however, has proposed to do this in a greater canvas involving all the people such as freedom fighters, the historians, local forces, people who extended supports to them, and the commoners of the besieged country during the Liberation War, to get a complete and true history of the Liberation War.

Expressing gratitude to India for its tremendous support extended by its people and government in 1971, the historian also proposed to record the statements of the allied force to get a complete history of the Liberation War.

Mamoon posed a question about accuracy of the list of freedom fighters, saying, "The government should find out the real freedom fighters to make the massive work of recording statements of freedom fighters flawless."

Talking to newsmen, former Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique also hailed the government for taking such initiative, saying, "It is a great initiative as many freedom fighters has been forgetting their memories of the Liberation War. The unknown incidents of the Liberation War will be unveiled through recording statements of the living freedom fighters."

"The true and complete history of the country's War of Liberation will come out through the works which will help to stop distortion of its history and let people particularly the youths to know the history of the 1971 war," he added.