They finally go

The government has finally cancelled Freedom Fighter’s (FF’s) certificates of its five senior officials following recommendation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haq revealed this to journalists during a meeting with Jatiya Muktijoddha Council in Moghbazar in the city on Sunday afternoon.
Among the officials, four are Secretaries and one Joint Secretary.
They are: Health Secretary Neaz Uddin Mia, Privatisation Commission Chairman and former PMO Secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman, Public Service Commission Secretary AKM Amir Hossain, former Liberation War Affairs Secretary KH Masud Siddiqui and former Joint Secretary of Liberation War Affairs Ministry Abul Kashem Talukder.
The government recently made KH Masud Siddiqui and Abul Quasem Talukdar as Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
Earlier, the ACC recommended to the concerned ministry for cancellation of the FF’s certificate of those government officials as it did not find any evidence of their participation in the 1971 Liberation War.
The recommendation of ACC was made following a probe of the anti-graft body which found that they had managed the certificates through fraudulence means. “They did it with view to enjoy extended service benefits,” the report said.
The Minister said, the government will conduct a thana-level investigation across the country against those who obtained the freedom fighters’ certificates despite not having their names either in the Red Book or in the list of the Indian government.
The Red Book or “Mukti Barta” was prepared by the Awami League Government during its 1996-2001 tenure, which contained around 1.54 lakh freedom fighters’ names.
In 1973, the Indian government sent a list of 69,509 freedom fighters who received training in that country.
Of them, the freedom fighters who applied for certificates were included in the Red Book.
In January 2014, the ACC launched probe against six top officials of the government who took Freedom Fighter’s certificates prior to their retirement.
ACC Deputy Director Zulfiker Ali submitted the probe report to the Commission after eight months of their probe.
The ACC probe found Housing and Public Works Secretary Dr Khondakar Showkat Hossain as a real freedom fighter. The Commission also asked the authorities concerned to take departmental action against them.