A new witness against Syed Mohammad Qaisar yesterday said the accused had asked the Pakistani occupation forces to kill his maternal uncle’s younger brother during the 1971 Liberation War.
Mohammad Omar Ali, 62, from Lohaid of Madhabpur in Habiganj, testified at the International Crimes Tribunal 2 as the 21st prosecution witness.
“On May 14 or 15 of 1971, I was eating with my uncle Akram Ali Chowdhury’s younger brother Noor Ali Chowdhury at his home, when one of my friends Abdul Khaleque came and told us that Qaisar, his men and the Pakistani Army forces had entered our village,” Omar said.
After some time, the accused entered the backyard. The witness and his friend then hid in the house’s granary, Omar said.
“Then Qaisar hinted to the troops to kill Noor Ali, and they shot him dead. The accused killed my uncle as he had not allowed Qaisar to hold a meeting in our yard during the 1970 elections,” he claimed.
The witness continued: “They also shot my uncle Akram Ali but he survived. That day, the forces killed at least seven people in our village.”
After the deposition, defence counsel SM Shahjahan cross examined him and the tribunal adjourned the hearing until today.
Earlier, Abdus Sobhan Tarafder, another defence counsel for Qaisar, grilled the 20th prosecution witness, Md Abdul Motaleb, who testified on Tuesday. The witness described the rape of indigenous woman Hiramoni Santal by two army men in the presence of the accused at a tea estate in 1971.
Former Jatiya Party state minister Qaisar is facing 16 charges of crimes against humanity he had allegedly committed in Habiganj.
