Abdul Jabbar

A tribunal in Dhaka today decided to hold the trial of war crimes suspect Abdul Jabbar in absentia for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.

After passing the order, the three-member panel of International Crimes Tribunal-1 headed by its chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim fixed July 20 for charge framing hearing in the case.

The tribunal issued an arrest warrant against the former Jatiya Party lawmaker on May 12 after accepting five war crimes charges against him.

Jabbar, now 82, was the alleged chairman of Mathbaria Peace Committee, an anti-liberation force, during the Liberation War in 1971.

As Jabbar was not arrested by this time, the court has decided to begin the trial proceedings of the case in his absence.

Besides, the tribunal appointed a defence lawyer, Mohammad Abul Hasan for beginning the trial proceedings as the suspect is believed to be on run.

Prosecutor Jahid Imam on May 12 told the tribunal that Jabbar possessed only one passport. “Using that passport he [Jabbar] went abroad in 2009 and returned to Bangladesh the same year. Since then there has been no trace of him,” the prosecutor added on that day.

Jabbar as the chairman of Mathbaria Peace Committee “played a key role” in the formation of the Razakar force there and “led it” to commit crimes during the war.

The prosecution has brought five charges against him for killing, mass killing, looting and forced conversions in Pirojpur in 1971.

A probe report notes that he was involved in killing 36 people, looting and destroying 557 houses and forcing 200 Hindus to convert to Islam.

He was elected lawmaker from Mathbaria in 1986 and 1988 on a Jatiya Party ticket but retired from politics later.