Friday, February 20, 2009
Two suspected 1971 'war criminals' arrested in Bangladesh
Two alleged 1971 "war criminals" were arrested and remanded to police custody on Saturday in Bangladesh, a month after the new parliament passed a resolution to try the Bengali-speaking collaborators of Pakistani troops during the country's liberation war. In the first such case in over three decades, a court in northwestern Rajshahi allowed two men, suspected to be 1971 "war criminals" to be remanded to police custody for interrogation following their arrest. Daud Hossain, 70, and Nur-e Anwar, 65, were arrested from their village homes at Mohonpur sub-district on charges of killing 15 people during the Liberation War, after a case was filed by the son of one of the '1971 martyrs'. "It is the first instance in the country where alleged war criminals have been arrested in a regular case," Rajshahi district police chief Shahabuddin Khan told newsmen. Police said Hossain was an activist of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami that opposed the country's independence, while Anwar was a worker of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Seventeen others are also charged in the case after the complainant Merajul Sheikh said the accused were collaborators of Pakistani troops and indulged in robbery, murder, arson and rape at Modanhati and nearby villages during the war.
Indian veterans endorse ‘trial for war crimes’ in Bangladesh
Thirty-seven years after they helped the emergence of an independent Bangladesh, visiting Indian war veterans endorsed a demand here (Dhaka, March 31, 2008 ) for the trial of those who collaborated with the Pakistani authorities, committing atrocities on civilians. “The trial of war criminals can be held under the country’s existing law. The government can take initiatives of holding their (war criminals) trials as the country’s people have already raised their voices for it,” Lt. Gen. (retd) J.F.R. Jacob, who had planned the military campaign in December 1971, said after placing wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar Sunday.
Jacob was here as the head of an 11-member delegation of Indian war veterans, visiting the country at the invitation of Bangladesh Army Chief Gen. Moin U. Ahmed.
His former colleague, Maj Gen (retd) Laxman Singh, said: “Being a fighter in the war of independence of Bangladesh, I must want trial of war criminals through a special tribunal.”
He recalled that the trial of German war criminals had taken place even 50 years after World War II. “So I don’t think there is any bar to holding trial against the war criminals after 37 years of the liberation war,” Singh was quoted as saying by the New Age newspaper Monday.
A highly emotive issue in Bangladesh, it is currently being advocated by former soldiers and Mukti Bahini freedom fighters, besides many political parties who want to keep Islamist political parties, particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), out of the country’s elections.
The Bangladesh Army chief is supportive of the idea and the Election Commission is considering pleas by political parties.
Gen. Ahmed played host to the Indian team at a reception Sunday, urging them to play the role of goodwill ambassadors.
He recalled with gratitude the Indian support in Bangladesh’s emergence and appreciated the role of the Indian Army during the war in 1971, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency said.
“We fought shoulder to shoulder during the war in 1971,” Jacob told the Bangladesh Army chief, as he praised the Bangladeshi fighters, then trained and assisted by the Indian Army.
Air Vice marshal (retd) A.K. Khandaker, who later became the first chief of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF), hugged Jacob at a reception hosted by the Sector Commanders - the Pakistan Army personnel of the East Bengal Regiment who fought with the Indian Army, The Daily Star said.
There was a unique reunion among the 1971 war veterans, both Indians and Bangladeshis, at a function attended by politicians, lawyers, cultural activists, businessman, retired armed forces personnel and human rights activists, who took part in the ‘war of independence’ directly or indirectly.
Among them were freedom fighters and former ministers like Kamal Hossain, Abdur Razzaq, Toafil Ahmed, Motia Chowdhury, Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Hasanul Haq Inu and Rashed Khan Menon.
“The visiting Indian ex-army veterans and their Bangladeshi comrades turned nostalgic in remembrance of their heroic victory over the Pakistan occupation army in 1971. The thrilled and excited war heroes embraced each other while recollecting their days of war together,” the newspaper said.
Jacob was here as the head of an 11-member delegation of Indian war veterans, visiting the country at the invitation of Bangladesh Army Chief Gen. Moin U. Ahmed.
His former colleague, Maj Gen (retd) Laxman Singh, said: “Being a fighter in the war of independence of Bangladesh, I must want trial of war criminals through a special tribunal.”
He recalled that the trial of German war criminals had taken place even 50 years after World War II. “So I don’t think there is any bar to holding trial against the war criminals after 37 years of the liberation war,” Singh was quoted as saying by the New Age newspaper Monday.
A highly emotive issue in Bangladesh, it is currently being advocated by former soldiers and Mukti Bahini freedom fighters, besides many political parties who want to keep Islamist political parties, particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), out of the country’s elections.
The Bangladesh Army chief is supportive of the idea and the Election Commission is considering pleas by political parties.
Gen. Ahmed played host to the Indian team at a reception Sunday, urging them to play the role of goodwill ambassadors.
He recalled with gratitude the Indian support in Bangladesh’s emergence and appreciated the role of the Indian Army during the war in 1971, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency said.
“We fought shoulder to shoulder during the war in 1971,” Jacob told the Bangladesh Army chief, as he praised the Bangladeshi fighters, then trained and assisted by the Indian Army.
Air Vice marshal (retd) A.K. Khandaker, who later became the first chief of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF), hugged Jacob at a reception hosted by the Sector Commanders - the Pakistan Army personnel of the East Bengal Regiment who fought with the Indian Army, The Daily Star said.
There was a unique reunion among the 1971 war veterans, both Indians and Bangladeshis, at a function attended by politicians, lawyers, cultural activists, businessman, retired armed forces personnel and human rights activists, who took part in the ‘war of independence’ directly or indirectly.
Among them were freedom fighters and former ministers like Kamal Hossain, Abdur Razzaq, Toafil Ahmed, Motia Chowdhury, Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Hasanul Haq Inu and Rashed Khan Menon.
“The visiting Indian ex-army veterans and their Bangladeshi comrades turned nostalgic in remembrance of their heroic victory over the Pakistan occupation army in 1971. The thrilled and excited war heroes embraced each other while recollecting their days of war together,” the newspaper said.
Golam Azam
Golam Azam (literally means "Great Servant or Slave", aptly named considering his lifelong service to his masters, the Pakistanis) is the chief planner of many murders and rapes in 1971 war. During the war he termed the numerous rapes of Bangali married and unmarried women by the Pakistanis and their supporters as "Muta Marriages" (temporary marriages which are banned in traditional Islam) through self-styled religious edict (fatwa). He is not only very unrepentant of his and his party's war crime roles, but also very proud of it. Not many years ago he arrogantly made a remark "Ekattore bhul kori nai" (Did not make any mistake in 71). His party, the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (a political party based on Pakistani scholar Moududi’s twisted religious teachings), and other 'anti-liberation' entities took part in the 1971.
The greatest criminal Golam Ajam had to take shelter in Pakistan. The other big criminals like Moilana Matiur Rahman Nijami and Ali Ahsan Mujahid were either rotting in the prison or took shelter in Pakistan, the safehaven of 1971 war criminals and 1975 murderers.
Al-Badar
Al-Badar was a paramilitary force formed in Bangladesh in 1971 by the Pakistan army. On 1971-03-25, after beginning the Bangladesh Liberation War, Pakistani military forces required military support from Bengali supporters who still wants to live with Pakistan, or don't like indian interaction in the movement; as well as the non-Bengali muhajirs in order to abolish the independence fighters of Bangladesh, the Mukti Bahini, Hemayet Bahini and Kaderia Bahini. The Al Badar were formed to detect these independence fighters and to have guides as well as co-fighters who were familiar with the local terrain.
The force was composed of madrasa students-teachers, Bengali supporters of Muslim League and Jamaat E Islami, and muhajirs coming from non-Bengali part of India.
There were three type of Paramilitry forces Pakistan formed,
1. Razakars: refuges who were came from other parts of india during sepration of India and Pakistan, and setteled in East Pakistan.
2. Al-Badar: Bengali Muslim Students from Colleges, universities and madrasah, who were loyal to Jamat-e-islami.
3. Al-Shams: Bengali Madrasah Students, teachers & supporters of islamic parties other than Jamat-E-Islami (these smaller parties included Nejam-e-Islami and various factions of Muslim League).
Al-Badar was very organized para military force among those three forces, they had their own hirarchy of organization & reporting system. The Al Badar were assigned a variety of combat and non-combat tasks including:
# Taking part in the operations
# Spying against Muktibahini
# Interrogation
# Working as the guides of the regular army
# Assassination
# Detecting and killing Mukti Bahni Soildiers
# Providing supply line to front army .
The force was composed of madrasa students-teachers, Bengali supporters of Muslim League and Jamaat E Islami, and muhajirs coming from non-Bengali part of India.
There were three type of Paramilitry forces Pakistan formed,
1. Razakars: refuges who were came from other parts of india during sepration of India and Pakistan, and setteled in East Pakistan.
2. Al-Badar: Bengali Muslim Students from Colleges, universities and madrasah, who were loyal to Jamat-e-islami.
3. Al-Shams: Bengali Madrasah Students, teachers & supporters of islamic parties other than Jamat-E-Islami (these smaller parties included Nejam-e-Islami and various factions of Muslim League).
Al-Badar was very organized para military force among those three forces, they had their own hirarchy of organization & reporting system. The Al Badar were assigned a variety of combat and non-combat tasks including:
# Taking part in the operations
# Spying against Muktibahini
# Interrogation
# Working as the guides of the regular army
# Assassination
# Detecting and killing Mukti Bahni Soildiers
# Providing supply line to front army .
War Crimials of Bangladesh
During the liberation war of 1971, Pakistani occupation army led by General Yahya Khan and his colleagues in collaboration with the anti liberation forces (Jamat, Muslim League, and other religious political parties) of Bangladesh killed a total of 3 million unarmed Bangalees, molested and raped about 450,000 Bangalee women and, on the eve of the independence, murdered hundreds of leading intellectuals to spiritually cripple the nation. A crime far exceeds, in its atrocity and inhumanity, the crimes of Hitler, Melosovitch, the nazis and the fascists.
Local Collaborators
Peace Committee
Established : April 1971
Convener : Khawza Khairuddin
Organizers : Prof. Golam Azam
A. Q. M Shafiqul Islam
Moulana Syed Masum
Razaker forces
Established : May 1971 (Khulna)
Ordinance : June 1971
Convener : Moulana A K M Yusuf
Director : A S M Zahrul Huq
Al-Badar and Al-Shams
Members of Islamic chhattra sangha, student wing of Jamat-e-Islam party killer force of Pakistan Army, like the SS of Hitler.
Members of Islamic chhattra sangha, student wing of Jamat-e-Islam party killer force of Pakistan Army, like the SS of Hitler.
The term Razakar is originally derived from an Arabic word meaning volunteer. In the context of Islamic history Razakars were volunteers to defend or support Islam. But in Bangladeshi context Razakar means traitors or collaborators of the Paki army who helped them, in our liberation war in 1971, in identifying and killing millions of Bangalees involved in or even supporting the liberation war. The Razakars were mainly the members of Muslim league, Jamat-e-Islam and other Islamic groups and factions.
The Razakars…..should be specially helpful as members of rural communities, who can identify guerrillas (freedom fighters)”, an army officer (Pakistan) said…The government says it has already recruited more than 22,000 Razakars of a planned force of 35,000.’-New York Times, July 30, 1971
Jamaat leaders collaborated with them [Pakistan army] not only to advance their ideals of Pakistan as an Islamic state, but also to wreak vengeance on people they were at enmity with.
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