CM Kajawl :The government has taken an initiative to bring some amendments to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 to put Jamaat-e-Islami on trial for its role during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971. Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq recently said they had prepared a draft with some amendments in the 1973 Act to ban Jamaat-e-Islami. The draft would be placed in the Cabinet meeting soon for its approval. “We’re trying to place it in the next Cabinet meeting on February 23. If it is not possible, we are determined to place it in the next meeting on March 2,” he said.Acting President of Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee Shahriar Kabir sounded optimistic about the government’s step to amend the law to hold trial of Jamaat. “It has been a long standing demand from us to punish the anti-liberation organizations alongside the individuals for their links with the crimes against humanity. But the trial was not held due to some ambiguities. Though the ICT Act permits the trial of Jamaat, the nature of punishment of an organization was not mentioned in the law,” he said on Friday. If the government amends the law, it would be easier to punish the anti-liberation organization, he said.Talking to The New Nation, he said that Jamaat actively took part in different crimes like murder, extermination, torture, rape, arson, confinement and conversion in 1971. “The tribunal termed Jamaat as a criminal organization in several verdicts. The leaders of Jamaat are being prosecuted now, but as an organization the party cannot go unpunished. It collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces to carry out great atrocities against the innocent people in 1971,” he said. “Now we hope that the government will make the required amendments in the ICT act as early as possible to hold trial of Jamaat and other anti-liberation forces,” he said. Prosecutor Tureen Afroz was also of the view that the Jamaat and other anti-liberation organizations should be punished for their involvements in 1971 crimes. Referring to the Nuremberg trial, she said that six organizations were also tried along with 24 individuals after the Second World War.”Jamaat backed the Pakistan occupation forces to foil the independence war of Bangladesh, carry out genocide and other atrocities. Though some of its leaders have already been punished, but Jamaat as a party cannot circumvent its responsibility,” she said.
