Sagar Biswas:
The investigation agency of International Crimes Tribunal [ICT] has formed a five-member committee to gather preliminary information about 195 Pakistani prisoners of war [POWs] who allegedly committed war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War.
The committee formed on Monday sat in a formal meeting on Tuesday. Investigation Officer of the ICT Matiur Rahman will lead the newly formed committee, sources said.
The committee will collect information and related books and documents from across the country regarding offences committed by the Pakistani soldiers. Official of ICT investigation team Hari Devnath has been made Investigation Officer of the committee.
In the first meeting, the committee has also decided to collect information about five more Pakistani navy and air force officials, apart from 195 identified Pakistan army men. It means the committee will collect information about 200 Pakistani military personnel.
Committee sources said the area of investigation may expand in the future. At primary stage, the committee will collect information on some specific matters: where the Pakistani army official was posted, what was his responsibility, and how he had committed crimes against humanity.
In that case, the number of Pakistani war criminals may increase in the future, the sources said.
“We will collect and gather primary information abiut them. However, the body was not given the authority to run formal probes against them,”
Coordinator of the committee Abdul Hannan Khan said on Monday at a press conference in the city.
Answering to a question, he said, “If we will get government’s directives, and if everything is prepared, we will go for formal investigation of 195 Pakistani army officials who had committed crimes against humanity during our Liberation War in 1971.”
“The newly formed investigation committee has adequate manpower to hold investigation simultaneously in several divisions, including Dhaka. So, we have planned to set up separate offices at seven divisional headquarters and conduct inquiry from there,” he added.
On the other hand, Chief of the Committee Matiur Rahman said, “Pakistan took back 195 army officials [all were identified war criminals] after the independence of Bangladesh. Pakistan had given assurance that they [195] would face trial under Simla Agreement which was signed among Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in 1974.”
“Apart from tripartite Simla Agreement, we will collect the copy of report of the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, which was formed in Pakistan after independence of Bangladesh. In both agreement and report categorically pointed to the trial of Pakistani war criminals,” he said.
Meanwhile, a symbolic trial of 195 Pakistani criminals will be held at Suhrawardy Uddyan on March 26 under the auspices of International War Crimes Mass Trial Movement [IWCMTM].
The IWCMTM will also submit a memorandum to the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad on February 3 and hold a meeting at Central Shaheed Minar on February 17. Besides, the IWCMTM will bring out a rally from Motijheel to Jatiya Press Club on Feb 20 and it will submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioners [DCs] across the country on March 2.
In line with the above decision, a 501-member committee of IWCMTM has already been formed with Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan as its convener. It is decided that the committee will create pressure on the Pakistan government through different diplomatic channels so that it [Pakistan] holds the trial of their 195 war criminals.
Convener of IWCMTM and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has said the 195 Pakistani war criminals, who were attached to Pakistan army in 1971, must be tried in line with the international law.
The Minister said, “Hamoodur Commission found 195 members of Pakistani army guilty for committing war crimes in 1971 in Bangladesh. They were handed over to the Pakistani authorities in line with the Simla Agreement signed by India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in 1974.”
“Pakistan government is liable to hold the trial of their 195 army personnel for their involvement in heinous crimes including mass-killings, arson attacks, robberies, rapes and other anti-humanitarian acts during the War of Liberation in Bangladesh. I hope, the Pakistan government will take immediate step to this end,” he said.
The investigation agency of International Crimes Tribunal [ICT] has formed a five-member committee to gather preliminary information about 195 Pakistani prisoners of war [POWs] who allegedly committed war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War.
The committee formed on Monday sat in a formal meeting on Tuesday. Investigation Officer of the ICT Matiur Rahman will lead the newly formed committee, sources said.
The committee will collect information and related books and documents from across the country regarding offences committed by the Pakistani soldiers. Official of ICT investigation team Hari Devnath has been made Investigation Officer of the committee.
In the first meeting, the committee has also decided to collect information about five more Pakistani navy and air force officials, apart from 195 identified Pakistan army men. It means the committee will collect information about 200 Pakistani military personnel.
Committee sources said the area of investigation may expand in the future. At primary stage, the committee will collect information on some specific matters: where the Pakistani army official was posted, what was his responsibility, and how he had committed crimes against humanity.
In that case, the number of Pakistani war criminals may increase in the future, the sources said.
“We will collect and gather primary information abiut them. However, the body was not given the authority to run formal probes against them,”
Coordinator of the committee Abdul Hannan Khan said on Monday at a press conference in the city.
Answering to a question, he said, “If we will get government’s directives, and if everything is prepared, we will go for formal investigation of 195 Pakistani army officials who had committed crimes against humanity during our Liberation War in 1971.”
“The newly formed investigation committee has adequate manpower to hold investigation simultaneously in several divisions, including Dhaka. So, we have planned to set up separate offices at seven divisional headquarters and conduct inquiry from there,” he added.
On the other hand, Chief of the Committee Matiur Rahman said, “Pakistan took back 195 army officials [all were identified war criminals] after the independence of Bangladesh. Pakistan had given assurance that they [195] would face trial under Simla Agreement which was signed among Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in 1974.”
“Apart from tripartite Simla Agreement, we will collect the copy of report of the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, which was formed in Pakistan after independence of Bangladesh. In both agreement and report categorically pointed to the trial of Pakistani war criminals,” he said.
Meanwhile, a symbolic trial of 195 Pakistani criminals will be held at Suhrawardy Uddyan on March 26 under the auspices of International War Crimes Mass Trial Movement [IWCMTM].
The IWCMTM will also submit a memorandum to the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad on February 3 and hold a meeting at Central Shaheed Minar on February 17. Besides, the IWCMTM will bring out a rally from Motijheel to Jatiya Press Club on Feb 20 and it will submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioners [DCs] across the country on March 2.
In line with the above decision, a 501-member committee of IWCMTM has already been formed with Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan as its convener. It is decided that the committee will create pressure on the Pakistan government through different diplomatic channels so that it [Pakistan] holds the trial of their 195 war criminals.
Convener of IWCMTM and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan has said the 195 Pakistani war criminals, who were attached to Pakistan army in 1971, must be tried in line with the international law.
The Minister said, “Hamoodur Commission found 195 members of Pakistani army guilty for committing war crimes in 1971 in Bangladesh. They were handed over to the Pakistani authorities in line with the Simla Agreement signed by India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in 1974.”
“Pakistan government is liable to hold the trial of their 195 army personnel for their involvement in heinous crimes including mass-killings, arson attacks, robberies, rapes and other anti-humanitarian acts during the War of Liberation in Bangladesh. I hope, the Pakistan government will take immediate step to this end,” he said.
