Crimes Against Humanity in '71

Jamaat not involved

Says Nizami

3 April 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami yesterday said the government should complete the trial of recent crimes against humanity committed during the BDR carnage and other such incidents before holding the trial of such crimes during the liberation war in 1971. He also claimed that no one can prove Jamaat leaders' involvement in killings, rape, arson and looting during the liberation war. The Awami League calls Jamaat leaders war criminals as Jamaat had several times refused AL's proposals to support them, he said at the representatives' conference of Islamic Lawyers' Council, an organisation of pro-jamaat lawyers, at Al-Falah auditorium in the city. "In 1991, Awami League offered to make us ministers if we supported them to form the government. They also wanted to offer 6 or 7 reserved seats for women to our party. Since we refused their offer, they are calling us war criminals," Nizami said. Like BNP, the Jamaat chief also smelled mystery over the term 'crimes against humanity'. "Now they [government] are talking about 'crimes against humanity' instead of war crimes. It's not clear whether any legal tactics are involved in using such terms," Nizami said.