| War crimes committed : Admits Jamaat  In a surprising shift from his party's earlier stand on war crimes issue, acting Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami ATM Azharul Islam yesterday admitted that war crimes were committed in the country during the 1971 liberation war. "Crimes are obvious if a war takes place, why should there be a question of admitting or rejecting it," said the Jamaat leader to journalists at a press conference at the party's central office in the capital. "Sheikh Mujibur Rahman identified the war criminals and declared an amnesty for them. It is also a crime to reprieve those who have killed 30 lakh people and harassed two lakh women," added Azhar. He, however, did not elaborate about who were responsible for the war crimes. He also announced a 13-day protest programme on various issues, including price hike of essentials, deterioration of law and order, gas, water and electricity crisis and 'anti-state' deals with India. Party's detained Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed on October 25 in 2007 had said there is no war criminal in the country and no anti-liberation forces ever existed. Jamaat sympathiser and former chairman of Islami Bank, Shah Abdul Hannan on November 10 in 2007 had described the liberation war as a "civil war" and denied any genocide took place and war criminals existed in the country. Five top leaders, including the ameer and secretary general of the party, are behind bars now on charges of war crimes. |
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