The 16 charges against Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami is accused of war crimes including genocide during the 1971 Liberation War.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 28 Oct 2014, 12:10 PM
Updated : 28 Oct 2014, 07:14 PM

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 indicted him on May 28, 2012 for 16 categories of crimes against humanity.

Nizami was the head of the East-Pakistan unit of Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS), then the student affiliate of Jamaat.

He headed the infamous 'Al Badr' militia until September, 1971 after which he became a member of the Jamaat.

His charges include conspiracy, planning, complicity, incitement and active participation in killing, rape, loot, forced deportation and arson.

Charge 1

Nizami has been held responsible for killing Pabna Zilla School teacher Kasim Uddin, who was perceived to be a supporter of the campaign to free the country from Pakistani occupation, in June, 1971.

He guided the Pakistan Army personnel who had arrested Uddin from his house before torturing and shooting him and two others dead in his presence.

Charge 2

On May 10, 1971 Nizami invited residents of Baushbarhi village of Pabna's Santhia Upazila to a gathering at Ruposhi High School premises to announce that Pakistan Army was due to ensure peace. The troops arrived on May 14 and killed 450 people of Baushbarhi and Demra villages at Santhia.

They also raped 30 to 40 women and forced many others to leave the country with assistance from Nizami and his associates.

Charge 3

The prosecution stated that Nizami regularly visited the physical training centre at Dhaka's Mohammadpur, where auxiliary forces abetting the Pakistan Army were trained to unleash a reign of terror during the war and intellectuals were taken there blindfolded and killed, and women were raped.

The charge said "as a chief of the Al Badr Bahini", Nizami visited the place for hatching conspiracy with Pakistan Army officers to commit war crimes and his complicity with the crimes committed there had been found.

Charge 4

In April 1971, a group of Razakars, or Pakistan collaborators, upon orders from Nizami, killed Habibur Rahman Sarder at a bus stop in Karamja village of Pabna allegedly for helping the freedom fighters.

Upon guidance and plans by Nizami, Pakistani troops surrounded the house of a Hindu man, Megha Thakur at Karamja village on May 8, 1971, killing several men and raping three women. Razakars accompanying the army looted the house after the murders.

Charge 5

Twenty-one unarmed civilians were killed when the army attacked the Arparha and Bhuter Barhi villages on Apr 16, 1971, aided by Nizami and his associates. Houses of the village were looted and set on fire then.

Charge 6

On Nov 27, 1971, the Pakistan Army raided the house of Abdul Awal and other houses nearby at Dhulaurha village of Pabna. Thirty people were held during the raid and brought to a local school before they were shot dead. The prosecution stated that the operation was conducted under the guidance of Nizami.

After the army left, Razakars led by Nizami captured another 22 people and killed them by the bank of Ichhamoti River.

Charge 7

On Dec 3, 1971, upon information from Nizami, the army arrested one Sohrab Ali from his home at Brishalikha village in Pabna.

He was tortured to glean information about his son Md Adbul Latif Selim, a freedom fighter. Ali was later shot dead in presence of his family members.

Charge 8

Nizami and Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, then the secretary of ICS, visited the MP Hostel in the capital on Aug 30, 1971. Nizami ordered the murder of several youths including Shafi Imam Rumi, son of ‘Shaheed Janani’ (Mother of the Martyrs) Jahanara Imam.

Charge 9

It describes the shooting of 70 people and torching of 72 houses at Brishalika village of Berha Upazila in Pabna on Dec 12, 1971, by Pakistan troops who were tipped off by Nizami.

Charge 10

Local Razakars destroyed the house of Anil Chandra Kundu at Sonatola in Sathia in Aug 1971, as the man was said to have joined the Liberation War.

Charge 11

This one puts Nizami at the scene of a meeting organised by ICS unit of Chittagong in Aug, 1971 where he incited the Muslims. "Pakistan is the house of Allah...there is no power on earth that can destroy Pakistan," Nizami said in his address.

The prosecution said that through his speech Nizami intended to exploit religious sentiments of the people and incite them to "commit crime against Banglaees, who were struggling to oust Pakistani occupation and auxiliary forces from Bangladesh."

Charge 12

The next charge is his inciting Muslims to go after freedom fighters on Aug 22, 1971 in a meeting held at Islamic Academy Hall in Dhaka. Addressing the meeting, Nizami had urged pious people to take up arms against the enemies of Pakistan.

Charge 13

This one also accuses Nizami of inciting Muslims by addressing a meeting in Dhaka on Sept 8, 1971 marking the Defence Day of Pakistan.

Charge 14

Nizami misinterpreted two verses of Surah Tauba of the Quran for inciting a gathering of Razakars at a meeting at the Jessore district headquarters on Sept 10, 1971.

"By quoting the Holy Quran and invoking religious sensitivities, you (Nizami) incited Razakar members to take revenge and eliminate those fighting to free Bangladesh," it states.

Charge 15

This describes Nizami as conspirator as he regularly used to visit Sathia Razakar camp in Pabna during the war.

Charge 16

The last charge is about Nizami orchestrating and executing the killing of intellectuals on Dec 14, 1971 as the head of 'Al Badr' militia force.