Staff Reporter :Jamaat-e-Islami has called countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartals for today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) in protest against the death penalty for its leader ATM Azharul Islam for crimes against humanity.The party acting Ameer Moqbul Ahmad made the announcement in a statement issued immediately after the verdict was pronounced on Tuesday afternoon.However, ambulances, corps-carrying vehicles, hospitals and fire service vehicles will be out of the purview of the shutdowns.”Azharul Islam is a victim of the government’s planned conspiracy to kill Jamaat leaders. The government used party supporters to give false deposition against Azharul in the court,”claimed the acting chief of Jamaat.Alleging that Azharul was deprived of justice in the judgement, he hoped that their leader would get acquittal in the Supreme Court.He also urged the party leaders and activists to observe the hartal peacefully.Jamaat will observe the hartal from 6:00am to 5:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday protesting “the government’s conspiracy to kill Azharul”, he added.Earlier in the day, the International Crimes Tribunal 1 sentenced former Al-Badre leader ATM Azharul Islam to death for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.The Jamaat leader was given capital punishment on five charges out of six including mass killing, murder and genocide.
