Pabna, July 30 (bdnews24.com) – Planning minister AK Khandker has said that the nation is on the road to absolve itself of the sin of failing to try war crimes suspects after 39 years of independence war.

"The trial process will begin this year", he hoped, saying, "The nation will be free from the scandal and able to raise its heads high in the world after completion of the trial."

Khandker was speaking at the weeklong tree plantation programme at Nizamuddin Ajgar Ali Degree College in Sujanagar in Pabna.

One of the government's election pledges is going to be fulfilled with the start of the trial and there should not be any ambiguity as some war crime suspects have already been arrested, he said.

The International Crimes Tribunal, formed to try the suspects, has already asked for presenting the four detained Jamaat-e-Islami leaders—chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed and senior assistant secretaries general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla—before it on Aug 2.

Kamaruzzaman and Molla were arrested in a case related to crimes during 1971 independence war, filed by a freedom fighter in 2008. Nizami and Mojaheed were, however, arrested for violation of a court order related to hurting religious sentiment on June 29 and were later shown arrested in a war crimes case.

bdnews24.com/corr/zr/am/1814h