Subject: Pakistani Islamists against trial
Date: Fri, 25 May 2012 21:09:32 +0100
Concern over 'sham' trials by BD rulers
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-5-110275-Concern-over-sham-trials-by-BD-rulers
Our Correspondent
Friday, May 25, 2012
From Print Edition
LAHORE
SPEAKERS of a seminar cautioned Pakistani politicians, intellectuals and media against the sham trials by Dhaka rulers of those patriotic people who opposed Delhi orchestrated secession of East Pakistan in 1971 and rendered sacrifices for keeping Pakistan united.
If those aged and handicapped leaders had been punished by the so-called international war crimes tribunal of Hasina government as 'agents of Pakistan' who abetted the so-called war crimes by Pakistan army, it would have automatically built an international case against Pakistan, the speakers warned while addressing a seminar titled "Objectives of Indian Interference in Bangladesh" organised by Pak-Bangla Friendship society at the Lahore Press Club on Thursday.
The seminar was chaired by JI Foreign Affairs Director Abdul Ghaffar Aziz while speakers included Lahore Ameer of JI Amirul Azeem, Lahore Bar Association President Chaudhry Zulfiqar, Defence Analyst Brig (retd) Muhammad Farooq, Prof Salim Mansoor Khalid and a Bangladeshi settler in Pakistan Anwarul Haq who fought against the Indian army in 1971.
Abdul Ghaffar Aziz urged Pakistani political leaders, intellectuals and media to raise voice and highlight the sham trials in Bangladesh held only at Indian behest to build an international case of war crimes against Pakistan. He said those tried were already exonerated of such charges by father of Hasina Wajid, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, in 1972 for the logical reason that they simply resisted the division of their country.
He said India was already trying hard to make a case of terrorism against Hafiz Saeed and others, and if Dhaka was allowed to continue with such trials then it might lead to a bigger tragedy than '71.
Amirul Azeem said India orchestrated the creation of Bangladesh and was still conspiring to disintegrate the remaining Pakistan but, alas, the rulers and custodians of the country were sleeping a sound sleep. He said Haseena government had from the start worked on secularising the country by making amendments in the constitution to strike off the words like "Islamic, Bismillah". Besides, it banned the religious parties and had tried to ban the Azan on loud speakers and Friday sermon in Arabic.
Brig Farooq said many international human rights bodies had objected to the tribunal since it was being headed by a judge who was the member of the commission who several years back collected the evidences and the names of those who 'abetted the war crimes by Pakistan army and acted as Pakistani agents.' Besides, Dhaka disallowed several British lawyers and other HR workers who requested to represent the accused before the tribunal. Apart from that, the witnesses were those who were born after 1971 and were fed with statements that belied the whole case to such an extent that several leaders and lawyers of Bangladesh had rejected them as mere victimisation.
He indicated that several global human rights bodies had dubbed the trials as 'target killing' of opponents.
Farooq indicated that one of the accused, 90 years old handicapped Prof Ghulam Azam, former Ameer of JI Bangladesh, was already exonerated of such charges in '72 by Haseena's father but still he was denied bail despite that he was brought before the tribunal on wheelchair.
Saleem Mansoor Khalid said Pakistan was already facing several separatist movements and if Dhaka punished patriotic citizens on the charge of resisting the division of their country then who would stand up to oppose the separatist elements working in Pakistan.
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