The International Crimes Tribunal 2 will record on March 9, the testimony of the first prosecution witness against Syed Mohammad Qaisar, a former state minister for agriculture from Jatiya Party.
The tribunal fixed the date yesterday after hearing the prosecution’s opening statement.
According to Rana Das Gupta, the conducting prosecutor of the case, the prosecution has submitted a list of witnesses who would testify against the former MP.
The prosecutors also read out the charges brought against Qaisar and prayed for recording of the witnesses.
The tribunal then ordered the defence to submit on March 9, the documents and the witness list that they want to rely upon.
On February 2, the tribunal indicted Syed Mohammad Qaisar on 16 charges, according to which, Qaisar had conspired with the Pakistani occupation forces with his Qaisar Bahini, and incited crimes like murders, genocide, mass killing, rapes, and destruction of property, as well as being responsible for the commissioning of international crimes in 1971.
After framing the charges, the ICT 2 set March 4 for beginning Qaisar’s trial with the opening statement from the prosecution.
Earlier on November 10 last year, the prosecution submitted the formal charges against the former state minister. Qaisar was arrested on May 16 last year, just a day after the tribunal had ordered his arrest, and was admitted to a private hospital in the capital. The tribunal later granted him conditional bail considering his age.
Meanwhile, the defence counsel continued the cross-examination of second witness Mostafa Mia, in the case against ATM Azharul Islam yesterday.
Defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder later cross-examined the witness, quizzing him on his training in India in 1971 and claiming that Mostafa had never fought for the country.
