Bangladesh's interim government on Wednesday moved to clarify that the freedom fighter status of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has not been revoked, despite recent amendments to the National Freedom Fighters Council, Jamuka Act. This clarification comes amidst media reports suggesting otherwise after an ordinance was issued defining a new category of "heroic freedom fighter."

"Sheikh Mujib's freedom fighter status has not been revoked despite the amendment of the Jamuka Act," Azad Majumder, deputy press secretary to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, told ANI.

This statement directly addresses concerns raised by Bangladeshi media, which reported that leaders of the Mujibnagar government, including Sheikh Mujib, had their freedom fighter status rescinded. The government has now confirmed that Mujibnagar government leaders, including Mujib, will remain designated as freedom fighters.

Redefining 'Freedom Fighter' and 'Associates'

Faruk-e-Azam, Adviser to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, further elaborated on the updated definitions. He stated that those who were part of the Mujibnagar government were indeed freedom fighters, encompassing those who fought the liberation war with arms and those who led it. However, officials and employees of that government will now be categorized as "associates of the Liberation War."

According to the revised Jamuka Ordinance, all MNAs (members of the national assembly) and MPAs (members of the provincial assembly) associated with the wartime government-in-exile (Mujibnagar Government), who were later considered members of the erstwhile constituent assembly, will now fall under the "associates of the Liberation War" category.

Until this amendment, they were recognized as freedom fighters. Azam clarified that being an "associate" does not diminish their honour.

The ordinance also states that diplomats, including those from Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, are considered associate freedom fighters.

New criteria for freedom fighter recognition

The amended ordinance sets clear criteria for who will be recognized as a freedom fighter:

All civilian individuals who, between March 26 and December 16, 1971, received combat training or prepared for war within the country, enrolled in training camps in India with the aim of participating in the war, took up arms against occupying Pakistani military forces and their local collaborators (including Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, the then-Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami, Nezam-e-Islam, and members of peace committees), and met the government-determined minimum age at that time.

Members of the armed forces, East Pakistan Rifles (EPR), police, Mukti Bahini, the Mujibnagar government and its recognized forces, naval commandos, Kilo Force, and Ansar. Women subjected to torture by invading Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the war (Birangona). Doctors, nurses, and medical assistants who served injured fighters in field hospitals during the war.

The ordinance redefines the Liberation War itself as the armed struggle carried out between March 26 and December 16, 1971, by the people of Bangladesh to establish a sovereign democratic state founded on equality, human dignity, and social justice, against the occupying Pakistani armed forces and their collaborators.

This development follows the interim government's introduction of new textbooks in January for the 2025 academic year, which credit Ziaur Rahman with declaring the country's independence in 1971, a shift from previous textbooks that attributed the declaration to founding father Mujibur Rahman.