Shibir Publication Criticized for Anti-Liberation War Remarks; Chhatra Dal Condemns

Staff Reporter

A controversial article published in the December issue of Islami Chhatra Shibir’s monthly magazine *Chhatra Sangbad* has sparked backlash for its derogatory comments about Bangladesh’s Liberation War. The article, titled “Dictators Through the Ages and Their Tragic End” by Ahmed Afghani, described participation in the Liberation War as a “mistake and shortsightedness” for Muslims, adding, “May Allah forgive them.”

The central leadership of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), including President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir, condemned the remarks. In a press statement issued on January 29, JCD expressed outrage, calling the publication’s stance “heinous and disgraceful.”

The statement emphasized, “Even 50 years after independence, describing participation in the Liberation War as a mistake and seeking forgiveness for it is nothing but an insult to the war and its martyrs. The Liberation War was not a religious conflict but a people’s resistance against the brutal Pakistani occupation forces. Citizens from all backgrounds united in this people’s war.”

JCD further noted that the Liberation War was a struggle for existence, initiated after Pakistan’s military launched a brutal crackdown on March 25, 1971. They labeled Shibir’s narrative as a strategy to obscure the defeat and shame of anti-liberation forces in 1971.

Calling Shibir’s approach hypocritical, JCD stated, “While Shibir organizes rallies with slogans like ‘We’ve won independence, we’ll protect it,’ their publication undermines the war effort as a mistake. This duplicity reveals that, despite public posturing, Shibir maintains an anti-liberation mindset akin to its predecessor, Islami Chhatra Sangha.”

The statement concluded with a demand for Shibir to clarify its stance on the Liberation War and issue a public apology for spreading anti-liberation narratives and disrespecting freedom fighters. JCD warned that failure to retract the statement and apologize would call into question Shibir’s loyalty to the independent state of Bangladesh and its moral right to political activity within the country.