Hundreds of Freedom Fighter and Birangana Applications Await Review as Parliamentary Committees Convene

A total of 837 applications for recognition as freedom fighters and female freedom fighters, known as Birangonas, are currently pending review, according to data presented during a parliamentary standing committee meeting on Tuesday.

The disclosure was made by the National Freedom Fighter Council during the first meeting of the 13th Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, held at the Parliament Building. Official records indicate that 615 applications for inclusion in the freedom fighter registry and 222 applications for Birangona status are awaiting hearings.

Since 2010, the council has recommended the cancellation of 6,465 gazettes for individuals deemed ineligible for freedom fighter status. Over the course of 103 council meetings, officials have also reviewed outstanding administrative tasks regarding the verification and vetting of the national registry. Currently, 104 names recommended by a sub-committee formed after the July mass uprising are pending gazette notification, while 202 complaints filed against existing recipients of freedom fighter allowances remain slated for hearings.

The meeting was chaired by Monirul Haque Chowdhury and attended by Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ahmed Azam Khan, State Minister Ishrak Hossain, and committee members Fazlur Rahman, Abdul Hannan, Amir Ejaz Khan, and Rokeya Begum.

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Separately, the 13th Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Commerce also held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday. Lawmakers focused on the operations of the Bangladesh Competition Commission, requesting a detailed report for the next session covering the commission’s institutional expenditures, total fines collected over the past decade, and the status of pending litigation.

The committee, chaired by Khaled Hossain Mahbub, also reviewed policies governing the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh. Discussions centered on the appointment process for dealers and strategies to reduce government subsidies for the state-run agency. Attendees included Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Barkatullah Bulu, Abul Hossain Khan, Abul Kalam, Helen Jerin Khan, Syed Zainul Abedin, Gazi Enamul Haque, and Abdul Muntakim.