The war crimes tribunal is set to pronounce its verdict today in the case against Maulana Abdus Subhan, a senior leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, more than two months after the case proceedings ended.
Subhan was made accused in 1972 by a special tribunal for collaborating with the Pakistani occupation forces and summoned. But he had already fled to Pakistan with former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam, according to the prosecution.
The three-member International Crimes Tribunal 2, led by its Chairman Justice Obaidul Hasan, yesterday fixed the date.
Incumbent Nayeb-e-Ameer (vice-president) of Jamaat Subhan, 77, is facing nine charges of crimes against humanity including genocide and murders of unarmed people, mainly Hindus, along with looting and setting houses on fire in Pabna during the 1971 Liberation War.
The charges are based on separate incidents taken place between April 13 and October 30 in which about 450 unarmed people were killed.
Son of Sheikh Naimuddin and Nurani Begum of Tailakundi village of Sujanagar upazila in Pabna, Subhan in 1971 was the founding ameer of Pabna unit Jamaat and Majlish-e-Sura member of the erstwhile United Pakistan Jamaat.
As the war began, Subhan was made general secretary of Pabna unit Peace Committee and later promoted to vice-chairman post of the associated body of the Pakistani Army.
He was elected unopposed a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in late 1971. He resumed political career after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.
In 2001, Subhan became a member of parliament from Pabna 5 constituency when the BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance came to power.
Law enforcers arrested Subhan on September 20, 2012. The tribunal 1 indicted the alleged war criminal on December 31, 2013. The case was later shifted to the tribunal 2 for quick disposal.
The prosecution placed 31 witnesses to testify against Subhan while none gave deposition defending the Jamaat leader. However, the tribunal had allowed three witnesses for him and the defence first said they would place two people.
First prosecution witness ATM Shahiduzzaman Nasim, then a secretary of the Bangladesh Students’ Union in Ishwardi, in his deposition told the tribunal that addressing a war criminal as a “Maulana” (religious scholar) was a sin.
Third witness Md Abu Asad claimed that he had been forced to join Mujaheed Bahini – a group of collaborators forced by Subhan and the Pakistani occupation forces.
“The accused [Subhan] took us to the army camp near the Hardinge Bridge in Ishwardi and said ‘I am Subhan from Pabna. As a Muslim, like me, you have to protect East Pakistan from today. If anyone tries to ignore this directive, he will be shot dead,’” the witness told the tribunal.
Asad also said he had witnessed many rapes. “I saw how the collaborators violated a woman in front of her husband and shot her dead. We used to encircle the villages at the time of atrocities so that none of the villagers could escape the place.”
Showing wounded spots on his body before the tribunal, fourth prosecution witness Rustam Ali alleged that it was the Jamaat leader who had shot him twice during the war. “Subhan was like an Azrail [angel of death in Muslim theology] and robber to us. I have been passing an uncomfortable life physically only because of him.”
Abdul Baten, the 25th prosecution witness, told the tribunal that Subhan had helped the Pakistani Army men to identify the Hindus in Sujanagar and asked to kill them for supporting the country’s independence.
The charges
According to the case, on May 12 of 1971, 300-400 people mostly Hindus were killed by the Pakistani Army and its local collaborators allegedly under Subhan’s leadership at several villages in Satbaria union of Sujanagar upazila.
At Juktitala village in Ishwardi, five people were killed and three others injured on April 13 in his presence and under his leadership.
Accompanied by local Jamaat leaders and the Biharis, Subhan allegedly abducted three persons, who had taken shelter in a local mosque, on April 17-18. They were later killed.
Led by Subhan, the Pakistani Army raided Sahapur village in Ishwardi on May 2, killed five people and looted several houses before setting those on fire.
Subhan allegedly abducted two persons from Arankhola cattle market in Ishwardi on May 16. The hostages were tortured at District Dak Bungalow in Ishwardi.
The Jamaat leader also led the Pakistani Army in alleged attacks on Kulniya and Dogachhi villages in Pabna on May 11. Five people were killed and several houses torched at that time.
On May 20, under the leadership of Subhan, the Pakistani Army allegedly picked up 18 people from Bharara village and killed one of them instantly. Others had been tortured at Nurpur Power Plant. Later, some of them were killed near Debottar Bazar. At least 18 people were killed in the incident.
In the first week of September, Subhan, accompanied by local razakars, allegedly abducted two pro-liberation persons from Dublia Bazar under Pabna sadar and killed them inside a temple at Kuchiamara village.
On October 30, Subhan and local razakars allegedly attacked Betbaria village in Ishwardi and looted several houses before setting those on fire. Four people were also abducted from the village and later killed.