Pakistan's concern over Molla hanging

The National Assembly of Pakistan adopted a resolution moved by its Jamaat-e-Islami party on Monday expressing concern over the hanging of Bangladesh’s war crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 Dec 2013, 07:36 PM
Updated : 17 Dec 2013, 06:22 AM

However, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) opposed Jamaat-e-Islami’s resolution passed with majority in the lower house of parliament, according to Geo News.
Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971 after nine months of bloody war. The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of which Molla was a leader sided with Pakistan then.

The resolution was moved by the Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami that earlier protested the hanging and said Molla was hanged to death because “he was loyal to Pakistan and supported Pakistan army during the 1971 war”.

Jamaat wholeheartedly sided with Pakistan's occupation army during the 1971 Liberation War and its activists were involved in atrocities including genocide, rape, torture, forcible coversion. About 3 million Bangladeshis were killed during the war.

The resolution also expressed condolences for the family of Molla.

The Assembly demanded that the Bangladesh government should not resurrect issues of 1971 and end all cases against the JI Bangladesh leadership in the spirit of understanding.

“We witnessed the fall of Dhaka 42 years ago and we seem to have not learnt our lesson,” said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who earlier protested the hanging of Molla.

Speaking on a point of order on Monday, he said that “people still react in a violent manner, do not respect others and despite tall claims about democracy our attitudes are still undemocratic”.

He further added that “we should carry out self analysis to determine what we achieved and lost since the fall of Dhaka”.

The interior minister said the government would support the JI resolution on the issue.

Geo tv reported that the minister was pursuing for “a unanimous resolution” to condemn the hanging of Molla.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Abdul Sattar Bachani said the execution of Molla was “an internal matter” of Bangladesh and Pakistan “should not interfere in the internal matters of an independent and sovereign country”.

MQM leader Abdul Waseem said “we should learn from the tragedy of 1971 and ruminate how to avoid national tragedies in future”.

However, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s Chairman and former cricket captain Imran Khan claimed Molla was “innocent” and charges against him were “false”.

The Express Tribune quoting ‘Radio Pakistan’ said Khan claimed that a lawyer of the international human rights organisation Reprieve, who was defending Molla, told him that he was innocent and “had nothing to do with the charges against him”.

PTI leader Makhdom Javed Hashmi, Chief of Awami Muslim League Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leader Raza Hayat Hiraj and Maulana Ameer Zaman of Jamiat-e-Ulma-Islam-Fazl claimed Molla was executed because of his loyalty with Pakistan, the newspaper reported.

Molla was executed last Thursday night for his crimes against humanity including mass murder during the war of independence against Pakistan.