Freedom fighter and administrator of the Freedom Fighters and Families Welfare Association, Ishtiak Aziz Ulfat, claimed that no member of the Awami League participated in Bangladesh’s Liberation War. He made the statement on Wednesday during a press conference at the Abdus Salam Hall of the National Press Club in Dhaka, organized by the association’s Bijoy Rakin City branch.

In his written statement, Ulfat alleged that the Awami League government deprived genuine freedom fighters of their rightful benefits while favoring fake ones. He criticized the government for misusing the 5 percent quota reserved for freedom fighters and accused senior officials, police officers, and Awami League leaders of taking over flats meant for real freedom fighters. He said that out of 1,950 flats in a welfare project, only 870 were allocated to association members, and among them, just 32 genuine fighters received 49 flats.

Ulfat demanded the cancellation of allocations held by non-freedom fighters and called for the return of those properties to legitimate freedom fighters and their families.