Two defence witnesses in the case against alleged al-Badr commander of Chittagong, Mir Kashem Ali, gave their depositions yesterday, claiming to be freedom fighters.
But when the prosecution cross examined them, they could not tell the tribunal anything about the formation of the Peace Committee, members of which collaborated with the Pakistani occupation forces. They also refused to talk about Jamaat-e-Islami, mentioning that they had no idea about the involvement of the party in the war crimes.
After the cross-examination of the third defence witness Abu Taher Khan, 63, the International Crimes Tribunal 2 closed the witness depositions from both sides and set April 27 for the closing arguments by the prosecution.
On Tuesday, a sister of the accused testified at the tribunal as the first defence witness.
Taher, claiming to be a freedom fighter, said he had no knowledge whether former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam had been involved with the Peace Committee during the war or not. He also could not name any leader of the Peace Committee in Chittagong.
The witness said he had heard about torture cells in the port city but denied knowing anything about Goods Hill, Chittagong Circuit House, Chittagong Stadium, Dost Mohammad Building and Daleem Hotel which had been used as torture cells by the local collaborators.
He said: “I came here in response to Barrister Akram’s [son of the accused] request. He said as I am a freedom fighter, I can save his father by telling the truth about Daleem Hotel.”
The defence also exhibited four documents of this witness including a document in connection with a case relating to Daleem Hotel and three books.
Taher claimed that he had been an activist of the Railway Workers’ League in 1971. When asked by the prosecution whether the organisation was formed with supporters from all parties – Awami League, Muslim League and Jamaat, he answered in the negative.
The defence first brought forward Mohammad Ali, 60, who also claimed to be a freedom fighter. Ali admitted that he had never taken part in any significant operations during the war.
He also could not name any martyred freedom fighters who had been tortured or killed at Daleem Hotel, alleged to be run by Mir Kashem, now the Jamaat executive council member and also its treasurer.
Interestingly, both the witnesses said they had never seen Mir Kashem before 1983 when they met on a matter of advertisement. They also claimed that they had never heard about Mir Kashem in relation with the Daleem Hotel but said there was a man named Motiur Rahman alias Moitya Gunda who had captured the place.
After their depositions, prosecutors Zead-al-Malum and Sultan Mahmud Simon cross examined them. Besides them, the tribunal asked Taher when he had heard about Motiur. The witness said he had heard about Motiur after the independence.
A key financier of Jamaat, Mir Kashem is facing 14 charges of crimes against humanity which he had allegedly committed in Chittagong in 1971.
Meanwhile, the defence in the trial of the alleged war criminal Syed Mohammad Qaisar, yesterday cross examined the prosecution’s eighth witness Shah Hussain Ali alias Sabu Miah for the second day. He gave his deposition on Tuesday.
