Writ filed on govt step to sell war-time firearms

A writ petition was filed with the High Court on Sunday challenging the legality of a government initiative for selling out the arms used during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.

Advocate ZI Khan Panna, a Supreme Court lawyer and Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a rights organization, represented by its secretary general Md Nur Khan, filed the petition annexing a newspaper report published recently under the headline ''Government wants to sell the weapons of the liberation war".

In the petition they sought High Court ruling upon the respondents to explain as to why the action of the respondents to sell out the arms used during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971 should not be declared illegal.

They also sought ruling as to why the respondents should not be directed to take effective steps immediately to preserve those arms or weapons used during the liberation war as national heritage for generations to come.

The plaintiff also sought ruling as to why the respondents should not be directed to hand-over the same to the museum of liberation war or any organization related with the liberation war or within the control of the defense ministry.

Defence secretary, finance secretary, liberation war affairs secretary, commerce secretary have been made respondents in the writ petition.

The petition might be heard by the High Court bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim, said the concerned lawyer.

The published report said, "The government wants to sell firearms used during the liberation war. The government's argument is that these are old, obsolete and ineffective as war-weapons. There is no need to keep these arms. Two arms import companies from the United States and one company from Switzerland have expressed their interest in buying these weapons as ancient memorials."

A total of 27,662 firearms of eight models are ready for sale, also read the report.

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