Shafiqul Islam Milton
bdnews24.com correspondent
Dhaka, July 07 (bdnews24.com) – The government has put former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam under watch following the arrest of top Jamaat leaders and start of the war crimes trial formalities.
The political guru of the religion-based party, who allegedly led the collaborators of Pakistan army during Bangladesh's war for independence in 1971, told bdnews24.com on Tuesday that he has been barred from travelling the United Kingdom.
A government policymaker who did not want to be named said: "Ghulam Azam is under intelligence surveillance."
Azam, leading a secluded life since leaving the top office of the Jamaat, said the government confiscated his passport on April 27 this year.
"Every year I go to the Britain to see my family. But I have not been allowed to leave the country since 2008," he told bdnews24.com correspondent who managed a brief interview on Tuesday after two days of continuous efforts when Azam was on the way to a mosque near his Moghbazar residence.
Azam said his wife had secured UK visa but he did not. "I appealed to a British court against the visa refusal and the court ruled in my favour. But the Bangladesh government is not letting me go abroad."
Asked whether the bar on his leaving the country is because of war crime allegations, he said he had no idea.
"I don't know what war crimes are," he told bdnews24.com when it was suggested that the bar on his movement might have been because the government was about to initiate a war crimes trial.
The former Jamaat chief refused to answer any further questions.
Earlier, his grandson Nabil Al-Amin told bdnews24com on the phone from the UK that their family had decided not to talk to the media.
"A few days back I had talked to a newspaper. They published false information. So I will not answer any of your questions."
Jamaat assistant secretary general Mujibur Rahman said Azam does not see journalists.
Last week, the government arrested Jamaat's incumbent chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and central executive committee member Delwar Hossain Sayedee for defying a court order over hurting religious sentiment.
Plainclothesmen on Monday raided the law chamber of Jamaat assistant secretary general Abdur Razzaq who was not around at that time.
The investigation into war crime charges is drawing to an end and charges are set to be pressed at the War Crimes Tribunal which was set up in March this year under International Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973 to try the war crimes suspects.
Ghulam Azam is the main suspect. He allegedly collaborated with the Pakistan army in the genocide, looting, arson, rape and other crimes against humanity.
He opposed the independence struggle in 1971 and allegedly led the formation of Peace Committees, Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams militias to thwart the emergence of Bangladesh.
Azam is also accused of having lobbied against the recognition of new-born Bangladesh by foreign countries.
He was condemned to death at a symbolic public trial by eminent citizens of the country.
Before the public court, the war crime allegations against him were detailed by Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir and his pro-Pakistan stance after 1971 was presented by professor Anisuzzaman.
Anisuzzaman said: "After the liberation of Bangladesh, Azam, staying in Pakistan, created an organisation named Purbo Pakistan Punoruddhar Committee (East Pakistan Reclamation Committee) along with anti-Bangladesh activists like Mahmud Ali and Khwaja Khaeruddin."
"Ghulam Azam tried to strengthen the international movement to re-establish East Pakistan. Accordingly, he kept claiming himself as the ameer (chief) of East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami many years after the elimination of East Pakistan."
In 1973, he urged everybody to participate in the movement of combining Bangladesh with Pakistan in the annual conference of Muslim Students' Association of America and Canada held at Michigan State University, Anisuzzaman added.
He explained the necessity of working for the movement within Bangladesh though it was a bit risky.
He arranged a meeting of the committee with Pakistanis like Mahmud Ali in 1974.
Anisuzzaman said Azam lectured against Bangladesh again in 1977, in the international conference of Islamic Federation of Students' Organisations held at Istanbul.
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