Source: BD News 24
Jamaat-e-Islami guru Ghulam Azam had ‘asked his followers to assist the Pakistani Army’ across Bangladesh during the Liberation War, a war crimes tribunal heard on Wednesday.
Prosecutor Sultan Mahmud also explained to the tribunal that the former Jamaat chief had instructed ‘patriots’ to resist and destroy ‘Indian intruders’ on sight.
During closing arguments, the prosecutor said that as head of Jamaat’s East Pakistan unit, Azam had actually meant his followers, members of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha as well as members of vigilante militia groups like the Al Badr, Al Shams and Razakar when he addressed ‘patriots’ or ‘believers of Islam’.
On the other hand, he explained that by ‘miscreants’ or ‘Indian intruders’ the Jamaat leader had meant Hindus and all Bengalees who sided with the liberation forces.
Mahmud deliberated upon Ghulam Azam’s war crimes charges relating to planning and incitement.
The three-judge International Crimes Tribunal-1, set up try to crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, indicted Azam on five war crimes charges including complicity, conspiracy and incitement on May 13.
Categories: Asia, Bangladesh