Staff Reporter :The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT) is set to deliver the judgment against the Jatiya Party leader Abdul Jabbar on Tuesday for his involvement in the crimes against humanity during the liberation war. The tribunal-2 headed by its Chairman Justice Enayetur Rahim on Monday announced the date of verdict against the fugitive Jatiya Party leader. The tribunal case proceedings ended on December 3 last year. Jabbar has been accused of crimes against humanity during the independence war of Bangladesh in Pirojpur area. A total of 24 prosecution witnesses, including the investigation officer Helal Uddin, gave depositions against the accused.The tribunal framed five charges against Jabbar on August 14 last year. The formal trial started on September 7, 2014. Earlier, the tribunal declared Jabbar ‘fugitive’ on July 8 last year as the accused did not appear in the tribunal even after the advertisements were published in the newspaper asking him to surrender to the tribunal. As the accused remained absconding, the tribunal also decided to hold the trial in absentia and appointed Advocate Abul Hasan to defend him during the proceedings. Earlier, the tribunal issued arrest warrant against Jabbar, taking the charges into cognizance on May 12, 2014. Jabbar, a former Jatiya Party lawmaker, was the chairman of Mathbaria Thana unit of the Peace Committee, an auxiliary force to collaborate with the Pakistani occupation army to foil the independence of Bangladesh.As per the allegations, he was involved in crimes against humanity and genocide in Pirojpur in May and October of 1971.Prosecutor Advocate Jahid Imam said they were able to prove all allegations against the accused with adequate evidences and expecting the highest punishment for him for his 1971 felonies.”As he was involved in the crimes against humanity as a collaborator of the Pakistan army, capital punishment would be appropriate for him,” he said.Advocate Abul Hassan, the state appointed defence counsel, claimed that the prosecution could not prove any of the charges brought against the accused. He prayed for Jabbar’s acquittal. Eighty-two years old Jabbar, an engineer, was elected MP from Mathbaria in 1986 and 1988 from Jatiya Party.He along with his cohorts allegedly detained 37 people from Angulkata and Mathbaria villages on October 6, 1971. Out of the detainees, 22 were later found dead.The prosecution also alleged that Jabbar was involved in arson attacks after looting 557 houses, and forceful religious conversion of 200 Hindus into Muslims at Mathbaria, Fuljhuri, Noli, and Aangulkata villages in Pirojpur.He went into hiding after the Liberation War and remained a fugitive till the political changeover of August 15,1975.
