The 11th prosecution witness, freedom fighter Shamsul Haque Nannu, said Thursday that Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami was tied to the intellectuals’ killing that was executed by local collaborators just before the liberation of Bangladesh.
“I know about Nizami’s connection to the killing as I was a source for freedom fighters at that time,” he said in response to a query by defence counsel Mizanul Islam.
He continued, “After the independence till the August 15, 1975, I had seen reports in different local dailies terming Nizami as the chief of Al-Badr.
During the war, I had seen in many local and foreign dailies that introduced Nizami as the top boss of that force.”
Following the third session of cross-examining Nannu’s testimony, the tribunal adjourned the hearing until July 7.
Nannu, who was a freedom fighter from Nizami’s home district Pabna, accused the Jamaat leader in his June 20 deposition of helping the Pakistani occupation army in killing more than 450 people in three villages during the war.
In the cross examination on Wednesday, he said the incumbent Jamaat chief headed the Islami Chhatra Sangha at the time, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami which was founded and then headed by Abul A’la Maududi and that Nizami had formed an anti-liberation cell comprising of Jamaat and ICS men in Pabna even before the war broke out.
The 60-year-old, however, could not remember who was the leader of the Pabna unit of Razakar, an auxiliary force formed to aid anti-liberation activities, but could detail that it was formed at Pabna Alia Madrasa in July, 1971. He also could not remember where the ICS headquarters were at that time.
The incumbent chief of Jamaat-e-Islami was indicted on May 28, last year, on 16 counts of crimes against humanity including murder, rape, arson and inciting violence.
