Jamuka Amendment Bill, 2026, maintaining the names of three local collaborators of the Pakistan Army — then Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Nizam-e-Islam Party — in its historical list.Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman raised objections
Special Correspondent : The parliament has passed the Jatiyo Muktijoddha Council (Jamuka) Amendment Bill, 2026, maintaining the names of three local collaborators of the Pakistan Army — then Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Nizam-e-Islam Party — in its historical list.Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman raised objections during Thursday’s session, but the National Citizen Party (NCP) formally notified Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in writing that it had no objections to the legislation.
During the session, Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmad Azam Khan tabled the bill for immediate consideration, which was adopted through a voice vote and subsequently passed unanimously after procedural approvals.Shafiqur acknowledged freedom fighters and martyrs in his remarks, criticising post-independence governments for failing to uphold a humane and just society.He said political suppression and the imposition of one-party rule under BAKSAL had banned multiple parties, including even the Awami League at times.
He emphasised that the ongoing parliamentary process is part of the return to multi-party democracy initiated after 1975.The bill, amending the 2022 Jamuka law, redefines terms including “freedom fighter”, “liberation war”, “goal of the Liberation War”, and “collaborator”.
It incorporates the families of both freedom fighters and collaborators under the law. It explicitly lists local collaborators: Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, the then Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, Nezam-e-Islam, Dalal Committee, and Peace Committee.
The law defines the 1971 Liberation War as the struggle between the Pakistan armed forces and their local collaborators against the people of Bangladesh seeking equality, human dignity, and social justice, from Mar 26 to Dec 16, 1971.
A new category of “Liberation War supporters” has been added, covering overseas Bangladeshis who shaped international public opinion, expatriate government officials, doctors, nurses, members of the People’s Council, artists and performers at the independent Bengali radio station, journalists working for the liberation cause, and the independent Bengali football team.
The amendment also addresses council formation, advisory boards, administrative powers, funding, loans, and the inclusion of collaborators and their families under relevant authorities.
The 2025 Jamuka Ordinance will be repealed, with all prior measures under it automatically recognised under the new law.During the parliamentary committee review, Jamaat members had submitted a note of dissent, arguing that including contemporary political parties as collaborators is inappropriate.
Despite these objections, the bill was presented, debated briefly, and approved, reaffirming the definitions of freedom fighters, the Liberation War, and collaborators for legal and administrative purposes.
