In her statements on two national days, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia never mentions the words "Pakistani occupation army", "Razakar", "Al-Badr" and "Al-Shams", who committed barbaric atrocities throughout the nine-month Liberation War.

Instead, she prefers the words "occupation force" (Hanadar Bahini) and "their collaborators" while issuing statements on the occasions of Independence Day and Martyred Intellectuals Day.

However, on the Victory Day, the BNP chief in her statements mentions the words "Pak occupation force" while describing the country's victory over Pakistan. 

This correspondent went through her statements on Martyred Intellectuals Day in 1994 and 1995, when she was the prime minister; in 1996, 1999 and 2013 the opposition leader in parliament; and in 2014 and 2015 the BNP chief.

The Daily Star also went through the BNP chief's statements on Victory Day in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and on Independence Day in 2014 and 2015. 

It is a historical truth that the Pakistan army and their collaborators -- Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams -- carried out one of the world's most murderous attacks on the eve of Bangladesh's victory. Sensing an imminent defeat, they started abducting and killing teachers, writers, doctors, lawyers, journalists and other professionals to cripple the nation intellectually.

Al-Badr was formed by the leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat.

Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, who was a top leader of Al-Badr, was hanged last month for war crimes, including killing of intellectuals.

During the war, Jamaat and its associate bodies opposed Bangladesh's independence and fought tooth and nail to thwart it.

"Assuming that the country's intellectuals would lead the nation in industry, literature, culture and towards prosperity, the occupation force planned to kill intellectuals sensing their certain defeat," Khaleda said in her statement in 1999.

In 1995, when she was prime minister, Khaleda said, "Some of the country's intellectuals were killed brutally at the hands of collaborators of Hanadar Bahini on the eve of our ultimate victory in the 1971 great Liberation War."

Her 1996 statement on Martyred Intellectuals Day mentioned: "The Pakistani ruler assaulted and oppressed our intellectual society in different ways. Even many of them had to go to jail."

"But the heinous killing of a good number of noted journalists, educationalists, artists and physicians by the local collaborators of the occupation force two days before the ultimate victory is a crime against humanity, a heinous and cowardice act."

Asked, Prof Emeritus Anisuzzaman said after taking power in 1979, late president Ziaur Rahman first gave official instructions not to use the term Pakistani occupation force while describing or writing about their atrocities.

"Instead, he started using Hanadar Bahini. And Begum Zia is still following the same policy," he said.

"Begum Zia uses the words Hanadar Bahini, but does not say which force it was. The word Hanadar Bahini does not automatically mean Pakistani occupation force. Likewise, she speaks of local collaborators but does not mention the names of Rajakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams," he added.

The noted academician also said the atrocities of Rajakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams in the killing of intellectuals have been proven in court.

"So it is very much disrespectful for the martyred when someone uses only the words Hanadar Bahini and their local collaborators," he added.

BNP spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon said although the BNP chief uses the words Hanadar Bahini and their collaborators, they undoubtedly mean the Pakistan occupation force and their local agents -- Rajakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams -- against whom the nation fought the war.

He also said using the words Hanadar Bahini was not a party policy.

Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah, a BNP standing committee member, said, "Everyone, except for the critics, understands what she [Khaleda] wants to mean by Hanadar Bahini and their collaborators."

He added he might request the BNP chief to use the words Pakistani occupation force in future.

Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, another BNP standing committee member, said the BNP chief's statements were drafted from the party office and that she did not have a scope to go through them before they were published.