Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith does not support banning the book written by Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AK Khandker Bir Uttam, rather he is in favour of publishing a new one to protest the former planning minister's claim.

Rejecting the demand raised by other lawmakers in Parliament on Thursday, Muhith said, “"No book should be banned, no matter how disgraceful it is. Rather another book should be published for expressing shame.”

Mentioning his party colleagues’ demand on the ban, Muhith said, “A demand to ban the book was raised in the Parliament yesterday (Thursday). I strongly rejected the demand. I don’t support to ban a book, no matter how disgraceful it is.”  

The Finance Minister expressed his opinion while inaugurating a book festival at the Public Library auditorium in the capital on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, Awami League lawmakers blasted AK Khandaker, the deputy chief of army during the War of Liberation in 1971, for "distorting historic facts" in his book "1971: Inside and Outside" that induced huge controversy in parliament. Some of the lawmakers also demanded banning the book.  

In his book, Khandker claimed  "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman concluded his historic March 7 speech in 1971 by saying "Joy Pakistan".

LY