Convicted war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami – who has been found guilty of murder, rape, looting, and the systematic killing of intellectuals during the Liberation War – continues to enjoy the benefit of a government-allotted housing plot, which was granted to him for his “services to the country.”
In 2005, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) granted Nizami, the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami who was also the al-Badr chief in 1971, a five-katha plot in Banani – one of the most lucrative neighbourhoods in the capital.
Along with Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed – who has also been convicted as a war criminal – was granted a five-katha Rajuk plot in the city’s Uttara.
At the time they were granted the plot allotments, both Nizami and Mujaheed were influential ministers of the then four-party alliance government. Nizami was serving as the industries minister, while Mujaheed was the social welfare minister.
The ninth parliament – which succeeded the BNP-led government – held much debate over the issue, before deciding to cancel all plot allotments that had been granted to convicted war criminals; however, the decision remains to be implemented.
The then state minister for liberation war affairs Captain (retired) ABM Tajul Islam had at the time promised the parliament of cancelling the plot allocations for the war criminals.
“After a discussion in the parliament, we also discussed this issue in the parliamentary standing committee [on Liberation War Affairs Ministry],” Tajul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune over phone.
The ministry also sent a list of convicted war criminals to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, which then forwarded it to Rajuk, the former state minister added.
Rajuk sources said they had worked on the issue and scrutinised the legal process after getting the letter from the ministry, adding that the process might be completed soon.
Sources at Rajuk – the agency responsible for coordinating urban development in Dhaka – said they could not come to any conclusive decision over the plots as the trial process for Nizami and Mujaheed was not completely over. However, if Nizami’s lawyer decided not to lodge an appeal against the tribunal judgement, Rajuk would go for tough action, the sources said.
“Nizami’s verdict was just declared and we need to wait for the copy of the verdict and then we can go for the next step,” Md Emdadul Islam, chief engineer (implementation) of Rajuk, told the Dhaka Tribune.
He, however, said they were waiting for the verdict’s copy as a legal ground was needed before suspending someone’s allotment.
Sources said both the war criminals were granted the plots on October 25, 2005, at the 162nd board meeting of Rajuk; while they were officially handed over the possession of the plots on March 16, 2006.
The then Rajuk board decided about the plots under the Land Allotment Rule (amended) 1969, which says anyone can be allotted a plot if he or she was considered to have served the country.
In his decision, the then Rajuk chairman Iqbal Uddin said both Nizami and Mujaheed were eligible for getting Rajuk’s plot as they had served the country as ministers.
When contacted, incumbent Rajuk Chairman GM Jainul Abedin Bhuiyan refused to comment on this issue.
However, Rajuk’s immediate past chairman Nurul Huda said: “No doubt the rule was violated then. Under the clause [of land allotment rule], only famous persons are eligible to be awarded plots.”
The Dhaka Tribune yesterday visited the Nizami’s lake-view plot in Banani’s Block J, and found that a real estate company called Mission Developers Limited had built a six-storied building at the site. Nizami had reportedly received five flats – each estimated to be priced around Tk2 crore – in the building, while the developers received five more.
All of Nizami’s flats have been sold, except for one on the fifth floor where his family members lived.
Mission Developers Limited had also constructed a building at Mujaheed’s plot in Uttara’s sector 1.
Rajuk Chief Engineer Emdadul said they now needed to analyse the legal process against the allotment of the plots as other parties were already involved with the properties.
On Wednesday, Nizami was handed the death sentence for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistani occupation forces. Earlier, Nizami was also awarded the death penalty in the 10-truck arms haul case.
Last July, the International Crimes Tribunal also handed capital punishment to Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
