The government was prioritising the preparation of accurate lists of those martyred during the 1971 Liberation War and genuine freedom fighters, Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan told Parliament on Wednesday.
He also said the preparation of lists of Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams and others who opposed the Liberation War would be considered at a later stage.
He made the remarks while replying to a question from treasury bench member Ekramul Bari Tipu (Naogaon-4) during the question-answer session in Parliament.
Replying to a question from Opposition Jamaat lawmaker Md Moshiur Rahman Khan (Bagerhat-1), Ahmed Azam said the country currently had 2,06,536 freedom fighters receiving government allowances.
He said the government had so far cancelled the gazette notifications of 6,476 people who had earlier been on the list of freedom fighters, following scrutiny in response to various allegations.
The minister said whenever allegations were received by the Jatiya Muktijoddha Council (JAMUKA) or the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs that someone was not a genuine freedom fighter, an investigation or hearing was conducted by a subcommittee comprising members of the council.
If the allegations were established and the person was found not to be a genuine freedom fighter, the subcommittee recommended cancellation of the gazette notification, which was subsequently cancelled by the ministry based on JAMUKA's recommendation, he said.
Conducting investigations and hearings following complaints was a regular responsibility of JAMUKA and an ongoing process, Ahmed Azam added.
In reply to a question from National Citizen Party lawmaker Atiqur Rahman Mujahid (Kurigram-2) about ensuring accuracy in the list of freedom fighters, he said several round-table discussions had already been held involving civil society members, academics, researchers, journalists and valiant freedom fighters in this regard.
The minister said further discussions and meetings would be arranged to determine an effective method for preparing accurate lists of freedom fighters and martyrs based on the recommendations emerging from those consultations.
He said the government believed that this process would help prepare impartial and research-based lists.
Replying to a question from Jamaat lawmaker Md Rafiqul Islam Khan (Sirajganj-4), Ahmed Azam said the government had taken an initiative to take up a new project to continue providing housing for financially insolvent freedom fighters.
A proposal in this regard had been sent to the Planning Commission. If approved, another 25,000 freedom fighters and their families would be brought under the housing programme, he said.
The minister said many eligible freedom fighters had been deprived of housing facilities in the previous phase due to complications over land ownership.
To avoid such problems, genuine freedom fighters who owned designated plots of land were being scrutinised and enlisted so that houses could be constructed on the appropriate land and government assistance reached the actual beneficiaries. “If everything goes as planned, the second phase of the project can begin next year,” he added.