Minister: No scope for new freedom fighter registrations

Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque has said there is no more opportunity to apply to become new freedom fighters.

"The list of freedom fighters has been revised several times after independence. Lastly, an online application for including the freedom fighter list was accepted. Later, the National Freedom Fighters Council published the final list after verifying these applications through upazila and district committees," he told parliament on Sunday. 

Responding to a supplementary question from lawmaker Md Mainul Hossain Khan, the minister said there is no scope for applying to become a new freedom fighter.

"Ziaur Rahman initiated the first extrajudicial killings in the country," he said while responding to another supplementary question from lawmaker Tarana Halim.

"During his regime, many members of the army, navy and air force were killed without trial," the minister added.

Replying to another question, Mozammel said the issue of increasing the honorarium for freedom fighters is currently under review.

"In the fiscal year 2003-2004, the first freedom fighter allowance program started at Tk300 per month for 40,000 freedom fighters or beneficiaries. The present government is constantly undertaking various activities for the welfare of freedom fighters," he added. 

In continuation of this, the amount has been increased several times from the fiscal year 2021-22, with a monthly honorarium of Tk20,000 and two annual festival allowances of Tk10,000, the minister said. 

He, however, said that from the fiscal year 2018-19, freedom fighters and their successors are being paid Tk2,000 per person in addition to the state honorary allowance and Tk5,000 per person as Victory Day allowance.

Source: BSS