Bangladeshi war veterans demand swift execution of war criminals

Hailing the hanging of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah, war veterans of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War Monday demanded swift execution of all war criminals.

Participating in the army-organised Vijay Diwas celebrations -- to mark the surrender of Pakistani soldiers to the Indian Army in 1971, the war veterans also criticised the riots in Bangladesh that have ensued following Mollah's execution.

"We are happy at Mollah's execution and we want that all the war criminals are hanged swiftly," Lt. Col. (Retd.) N Nabi Khan said.

Mollah was hanged Thursday night in the first execution of a 1971 Liberation War criminal in Bangladesh, after the country's highest court dismissed his petition to review his death sentence.

Following the execution of Mollah -- convicted of rape and mass murder, clashes have been reported across Bangladesh.

"The clashes are unfortunate. Moreover, there are attempts to destabilise the Bangladesh-India border and creating troubles in India's east and north east region," added Khan.

The Vijay Diwas saw war veterans from both the countries coming together and reminiscing about their joint effort which saw more than 90,000 Pakistani soldiers laying down arms.