Another turn of the wheels of justice

SQ Choudhury and Ali Ahsan Mojaheed have got their comeuppance. And we express our satisfaction at the conclusion of the process of justice for which the nation has been waiting for the last 44 years. The government, Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina in particular, deserves the nation's thanks for this. This is an important step towards the establishment of rule of law and ending the culture of impunity in this country. 

With the carrying out of the penalty awarded to the two most reviled perpetrators of crimes against humanity, a dark chapter in our history has been closed. Not only did they never express any remorse at their dastardly acts, they even had the impudence to state that what they did was right. Our unmitigated sorrow is that the country had to endure the pain of seeing these two adorn the position of ministers. We hope we have been able to redeem, in some measure at least, a debt of gratitude we owed to the three million martyrs and innumerable mothers and sisters who faced ignominy at the hands of the occupying Pak army. 

Those who accuse that justice has not been done are either doing so out of lack of full understanding of the system or doing it deliberately. Let us assert that no legal process has been more transparent and fair than the ICT. The accused have not only the benefit of appeal to the Supreme Court but also to seek review of the judgement from the Apex court. 

Let the trial, judgment and verdict be a lesson to all that crimes committed against humanity will not go unpunished whoever the perpetrators may be, and that the law will catch up with them eventually.