Decision on charges against ex-JP lawmaker August 14

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 has fixed August 14 for giving order on whether war crimes charges will be framed against former Jatiya Party (JP) lawmaker Engineer Abdul Jabbar for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971 in Pirojpur.
The tribunal fixed the date after the prosecution prayed for the former JP leader's indictment, while state-appointed defence plead to exonerate him from the war crimes charges.
Jabbar, whose candidacy was cancelled by the Election Commission after getting nomination for general election-2008 from Pirojpur-3 by Awami League-led alliance, is supposed to be on the run. Therefore, the three-member tribunal appointed a defence lawyer for the war crimes suspect.
Family members of the martyrs of 1971, freedom fighters and local people of Mothbaria town raised voice when he was given grand alliance ticket for the 2008 election.
Accused in a case under collaborators' act, he became a fugitive after the liberation till political changeover of August 15, 1975. Jabbar then became active in the politics and was elected lawmaker from Mathbaria in 1986 and 1988 with JP ticket.
According to the war crimes investigation agency, Jabbar has been on run since 2009.
Prosecutor Hrishikesh Saha read out the charges one by one.
The prosecutor said that Jabbar along with his accomplices forcefully converted 200 Hindus to Islam at Phuljhuri village in the last week of May 1971. Two freedom fighters of the village were also killed and Jabbar participated in the killing incident.
Apart from that, Jabbar participated in the killing of one person in Phuljhuri and setting fire to 360 houses.
On October 6, 1971, the war crimes suspect and his cohorts detained 37 people of Angulkata and Mothbaria villages in the upazila. Of them, 22 were later killed and the others injured. Jabbar's involvement was also found in the killing of 11 people, and looting of and setting fire to 60 houses in Noli village of Pirojpur.
According to the prosecution, Jabbar, the then chairman of Mothbaria Peace Committee, “played a key role” in the formation of Razakar Bahini and led the force to commit crimes in the upazila during the war. He also formed peace committees in every union and led them.
Filing a discharge petition, defence counsel Mohammad Abul Hasan said the formation of Razakar (auxiliary force to Pakistani occupation army) had been done by the then government and his client was not in the position to form such a force.
Claiming that the prosecution has failed to establish Jabbar's direct involvement in the incidents, he prayed the tribunal to exonerate Jabbar from the war crimes charges.
ICT-2
Meanwhile, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday recorded the cross-examination of Monowara Begum, the investigation officer of the case against former state-minister Syed Mohammad Qaisar, for the second day.
The tribunal adjourned the case proceeding until tomorrow, when Monowara, also the 32nd and last prosecution witness in the case, will face further cross-examination. The three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan also recorded the cross-examination of Md Mohammad Shahidullah alias Shahid, the 21st prosecution witness in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdus Subhan. Shahid will face further cross-examination today.
Qaisar faces 16 charges, while Subhan faces nine charges for allegedly committing crimes during the Liberation War in 1971. Both of the accused, however, pleaded not guilty before the tribunal.