The prosecution of war crimes tribunal in its closing arguments in the case against former BNP minister Abdul Alim Wednesday said the war crimes accused had chosen the “side of injustice” in 1971 when people of his hometown Joypurhat fought to liberate the nation.
“Alim participated in 1970’s election as a candidate from Convention Muslim League. He was the president of Joypurhat unit of the party,” prosecutor Rana Dash Gupta told the International Crimes Tribunal 2 of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Shahinur Islam.
The accused took the side that committed atrocities across the country in 1971, the senior lawyer said highlighting Alim’s political career during the War of Independence.
He said people responded to the call of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that he had made in his March 7 speech for building resistance against the Pakistani government and forming Sarbadaliya Sangram Parishad.
The people of Joypurhat who believed in Bangladesh’s liberation also formed a unit of Sarbadaliya Sangram Parishad there. “But sadly, persons who lost the 1970 elections and opposed the six-point demands started to work on an evil plan which ultimately led to the crackdown of March 25, 1971,” he told the tribunal.
“Candidates from the defeated parties met with Tikka Khan [the then governor of East Pakistan] within one-and-half-week of the crackdown. In the name of protecting the sovereignty of Pakistan, these leaders not only supported the heinous Pakistani occupation army, but also chose to be associated with the atrocities committed. The Peace Committees [a group which helped Pakistani occupational armies in committing crimes against humanity] were formed following this particular meeting,” the prosecutor submitted.
He mentioned a report published in the daily Sangram on October 28, 1971 which referred to a list that contained the name of Abdul Alim along with other defeated candidates who believed in the sovereignty of Pakistan.
Thirty-one of the defeated candidates participated in the by-election of the provincial government in late 1971 and elected uncontested. “Alim was one of them,” Rana said.
“Alim being an activist of Convention Muslim League became the chairman of Joypurhat Peace Committee,” he said, quoting a newspaper report published in 1972 and a list of Peace Committee members submitted by the Joypurhat deputy commissioner to the government after the independence.
The prosecution ended closing arguments on charges one and two. It did not place arguments on charges four and five since they could not produce any witnesses.
The tribunal on June 11 last year indicted Alim on 17 counts of crimes against humanity being a leader of the local razakar force and Peace Committee chairman.
