Jamaat indirectly admitted 1971 wrongdoing: Law minister

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman has said Jamaat-e-Islami indirectly conceded that its role and position during the 1971 Liberation War were wrong, by declining to vote against an amendment to the National Freedom Fighters Council Act in parliament. He made the remarks at the launch of the memoir "Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami: Its History and Politics" by the late Barrister Abdur Razzaq, held at a hotel in Dhaka's Gulshan on Friday.

Referring to the 2026 amendment to the National Freedom Fighters Council Act, Asaduzzaman said the amended definition recognises those who fought against the Pakistani occupation forces and their collaborators, including the then Jamaat-e-Islami, Muslim League and Nizam-e-Islami. He said Jamaat had sought to have its name expunged from the definition but nonetheless refrained from voting against the bill when it was passed. The amended law is officially designated the National Freedom Fighters Council (Amendment) Act, 2026.

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The minister further contended that many questions surrounding Jamaat's 1971 role could have been resolved had the party accepted a statement prepared by Razzaq in 2016 calling for an apology. Meanwhile, the book documents Razzaq's 33-year involvement with Jamaat, his efforts towards internal reform and his views on the party's role during the Liberation War. Political scientist Dilara Chowdhury observed that Jamaat still has substantial scope and need for structural and ideological reform.