Bangladesh is turning fast into a totalitarian state. The Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League dispensation has been targeting its political rivals, particularly Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JIB) for quite some time. It has detained a number of JIB leaders by now. On Jan 11, former JIB Amir, Prof. Ghulam Azam, was arrested by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), set up by the AL government with ulterior motives, for alleged ‘war crimes’ committed during the 1971 events. The ICT has earned worldwide condemnation from human rights organisations such as the International Bar Association, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International for its political vendetta.
The arrest of this octogenarian leader, whose vision and hearing are deteriorating and blood pressure is fluctuating, has raised many a question. There was no case against Prof. Azam until the first 30 years since the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did enlist 195 Pakistani officers as war criminals but there was no mention of any civilian. Even those 195 officers were forgiven and freed following Sheikh Mujib’s meeting with then Pak President Z.A. Bhutto in Shimla in 1972. The question of ‘war crimes’ was a closed chapter ever since. Then why have they dug up this buried issue 40 years after the event? And, wherefrom have the charges of ‘war crimes’ against Prof. Azam come from?
When the protest against Gen. Ershad’s autocratic rule was gaining momentum, BNP, AL and JIB leaders were together in the movement, and shared dais in several meetings of Liaison Committee. Then was there no question of Prof. Azam having committed ‘war crimes’?
Furthermore, during the 2001 elections, AL got only 58 seats whereas BNP got 197. This grand victory of BNP was due only to the support of Islamic parties – JIB and Islami Oikyo Jot – as out of 300 seats, these two Islamic parties contested about 50 seats and left the rest seats for BNP. The AL had to receive defeat whenever BNP and JIB contested together in an election. This was witnessed during the last two general elections and various other smaller elections in which AL was badly defeated. Thus the AL realised it was not possible for them to win elections when BNP and JIB worked together. This is why the AL is all out to ensure that the JIB does not play any role in the country’s politics. So the term ‘war criminal’ is being exploited against Prof. Azam and other leaders of the Islamic party since 2001.
This is high time the Bangladesh government stopped politics of vendetta and released Prof. Azam and other political prisoners in the greater interest of the nation.