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Sunday, August 1, 2010

[chottala.com] Pak intellectuals support war crimes trial



"A true Muslim is he, who can seek forgiveness, understanding his own wrongs,"
 
Saturday, July 31, 2010

Pak intellectuals support war crimes trial

Two high-profile Pakistani intellectuals yesterday welcomed Bangladesh's move to expose Bengali-speaking perpetrators of 1971 crimes against humanity, as a special tribunal earlier this week in its maiden order issued arrest warrants against four main suspects.

"I appreciate and support any move against anyone responsible for the killing of innocent civilians in 1971.Genocide is a crime against humanity and every sensitive human being must support a move to put the criminals on trial in a court of law," leading Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir told BSS.

In an interview over phone from Islamabad, Mir, who earned a professional repute for his in-depth journalistic study of militancy in Pakistan and voice for human rights in his country, said "I will (also) support any move against any Pakistani army officer who is responsible for violating law in 1971 or 1977 or 1999 or 2010 anywhere".

"War criminals are our joint enemies. They killed Bangalees in Dhaka and other cities and gave a bad name to people of Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar who were not aware of what was going on in former East Pakistan," he said.

Another leading Pakistani rights activist Begum Nasim Akhtar Malik, who had witnessed part of the March 25, 1971 genocide in Dhaka, told BSS over phone, "The 1971 war criminals must be exposed to trial".

"Otherwise, the next generation will learn nothing about the history and from the history," Malik said over phone from London, where she is currently staying with her sons.

She, however, suggested Bangladesh to carry out a massive campaign for building public opinion regarding the trial for the sake of justice so that the perpetrators of the crime do not get a chance to hatch "fresh plots" in the name of religion "as they did in 1971".

Their comments came as the International Crimes Tribunal on Monday issued first arrest warrants against Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojahid and senior assistant secretaries general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla.

The four, however, are already in jail to face several other charges including sedition and murder cases while the tribunal order came on a special prosecution panel petition seeking orders so that the four arrested Jamaat bigwigs could be kept in confinement "in the interest of smooth investigation" of charges of 1971 crimes against them.

While throwing his weight also for the trial of Pakistani war criminals as asked about the trial of particularly 195 Pakistani officers who were listed as "war criminals" soon after Bangladesh's independence, Mir said "Pakistan army committed atrocities not only against Bangalees in (erstwhile) united Pakistan, they (also) killed a lot of innocent people in Baluchistan from 1958 to 1969 during the Martial Law regime of Gen Ayub Khan."

"Another dictator Gen Yahya Khan was responsible for the genocide of Bangalees in 1971," he said.

Asked for his comments about Bangladesh's protracted demand for an official Pakistani apology for the atrocities committed by its soldiers against unarmed, innocent Bangalees in 1971, the leading Pakistani journalist said Islamabad should apologise to strengthen the ties.

"Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and former dictator Musharraf expressed soft regrets in the past but never issued an official apology. I have demanded and supported official apology many times because I love Pakistan and I love Bangladeshis," he said.

"I think this apology will strengthen relations between the two countries," Mir added.

"Today or tomorrow, Pakistan will have to seek the apology", Nasim Akhtar said, adding that the progressive leaders of her country and the ordinary Pakistanis are now thinking that Islamabad must seek apology.

"A true Muslim is he, who can seek forgiveness, understanding his own wrongs," she said.

 
Related Previous news:
 

1971 war criminals to be brought to justice: Hasina

NDTV.com - ‎Jul 23, 2010‎
Hasina's comments came two days after three 1971 war crimes related cases filed earlier with lower courts were referred to the Special Tribunal set up four ...


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[chottala.com] WAR CRIMES Tribunal sends 4 top Jamaat leaders to jail



 

1971 WAR CRIMES
Tribunal sends 4 top Jamaat leaders to jail
Dhaka, Aug 2 (bdnews24.com)—In its first ruling on Monday, the International Crimes Tribunal ordered four top leaders of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami to be kept in jail.

Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed, assistant secretary general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla were sent back to Dhaka Central Jail after a brief hearing that lasted barely 15 minutes.

The trial ended at around 10:45am on Monday with the judges sending the quartet off to jail after taking their attendance.

The tribunal also asked authorities to keep them arrested and adjourned the hearing indefinitely without specifying a date for the next hearing.

The four have been charged with crimes against humanity during nation's war f independence in 1971.

The trial started minutes after the quartet was produced before the court in the hearing chamber around 10:30am.

Around 9:55am, the Jamaat leaders were brought in from the jail under tight security in a police van. They were taken to the court's custodial chamber at 9:58am.

Justices ATM Fazle Kabir, Md Nizamul Huq and AKM Zahir Ahmed were already present at the court.

Earlier, Dhaka Central Jail authorities said that the suspects will be produced before the court at 10am on Monday.

This tribunal, on July 26, ordered the quartet to be produced before it on Monday (Aug 2) after hearing a petition pleading to show the Jamaat leaders arrested in a case that charged them with crimes against humanity during the war in 1971.

Tough security measures were taken in and around the court premises. Beside RAB and police forces, plainclothesmen were also on duty.

The Jamaat quartet was shown arrested in line with section 3/2 of the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act-1973. The charges under the criminal law are murder, arson, loot and rape.

Nizami, Mojaheed, Kamaruzzaman and Molla have several cases, including murder of freedom fighters, filed against them with the capital's Pallabi and Keraniganj police stations.

The long-awaited trial of war criminals started on Mar 25 when the Awami League-led government formulated a war crimes tribunal, prosecutors' panel and investigation agency.


bdnews24.com/sm/lh/adk/rn/ta/1055h
 
  • Trial of top Jamaat leaders underway
  • Jamaat quartet taken to the Int'l Crimes Tribunal

    Related:

    Mon 2 Aug 2010 11:11 AM BdST

    Late
    news:[AmaderShomoy]:

    http://www.amadershomoy.com/content/2010/08/02/middle0348.htm

    http://www.amadershomoy.com/content/2010/08/02/middle0346.htm

    http://www.amadershomoy.com/content/2010/08/02/middle0346.htm

    Prothom Alo

     http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2010-08-02/news/83394

    জামায়াতের চার নেতাকে কারাগারে রাখার নির্দেশ

     
    একাত্তরে মানবতাবিরোধী অপরাধের অভিযোগে বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামীর শীর্ষস্থানীয় চার নেতাকে পরবর্তী নির্দেশ না দেওয়া পর্যন্ত কারাগারে রাখার নির্দেশ দেওয়া হয়েছে। আজ সোমবার আন্তর্জাতিক অপরাধ ট্রাইব্যুনালের চেয়ারম্যান বিচারপতি নিজামুল হকের নেতৃত্বে তিন সদস্যের বেঞ্চ এ নির্দেশ দেন।
    এর আগে সকালে প্রথমবারের মতো আন্তর্জাতিক অপরাধ ট্রাইব্যুনালে জামায়াতের আমির মতিউর...
    বিস্তারিত

     

    rtnn
     
     


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    [chottala.com] Shun 'ill attempts' to topple govt PM asks opposition leader Madam Zia !



    PM asks opposition leader

    Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates a blood donation programme at Bangabandhu Bhaban in the city yesterday marking the National Mourning Day on August 15. Bangladesh Krishak League organised the event. Photo: Focus Bangla
    Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia to shun 'ill attempts' to topple the government and launch programmes that serves public interest.

    Referring to BNP chairperson's remark that the ground for greater unity of people and stronger movement has been created, she said, "Stop killing the innocent people in the name of creating ground."

    "How, being a Muslim, Khaleda Zia gives direction for burning another Muslim to death?" she questioned, referring to the death of Faruk Hossain in a pre-hartal arson attack.

    Faruk was allegedly killed by hartal supporters who set fire to his taxicab near Maghbazar rail crossing on June 26 night.

    "Try to gain peoples' confidence and give programmes for them," Hasina said, inaugurating a voluntary blood donation programme, organised by Bangladesh Krishak League on the premises of house No 32 at Dhanmondi.

    The blood donation marks the beginning of a month-long programme in observance of the National Mourning Day on August 15, the 35th death anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

    "You are creating ground for movement by burning down innocent people. Stop creating anarchy and violence in the country. Tell people what you can do for their development," the premier said.

    On the opposition's threat to unseat the government, Hasina posed a counter-question whether the opposition leader and her party has such confidence that people will bring them to power if the present government is unseated?

    Hasina urged the opposition leader to make promise that they would not kill innocent people, do not commit corruption and patronise militancy in the future.

    "You should not forget that people cast their votes against the four-party alliance for their limitless corruption and patronisation of militancy," she said.

    The premier said BNP has formed alliance with Jamaat, the party that raped hundreds of women and killed thousands of people during the 1971 liberation war.

    She said the opposition party is out to create instability in the country as they do not want welfare of the mass people.

    "We are running the country fairly. That's why the opposition party is not finding anything to launch movement. So, they are now killing the innocent people to create ground for movement," Hasina noted.

    Sheikh Hasina also the President of Awami League said whenever her party starts work to bring prosperity to people's lives, BNP and its allies resort to conspiracy to unstable the society and the country.

    The PM said the opposition party has become desperate to foil the government development programmes as they had failed to rig the last general election.

    "They had thought that they would continue to loot public property and money by winning the last election," Hasina said.

    She deplored that the last BNP-Jamaat alliance government had turned Bangladesh into a food-deficit country while the previous Awami League government made it self-reliant in food.

    Literacy rate also decreased during the BNP-Jamaat rule, she said.

    During the five years' 'misrule' of the four party alliance, Bangladesh earned bad name as a militant country, but in the last seventeen months, already the nation has been successful to get rid of the 'stigma', she said.

    The PM urged her party leaders and workers to work for the mass people with the spirit and ideology of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

    Krishak League President Mirza Abdul Jalil presided over the function while Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzak and Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque also addressed.
     
     
    Shamokal:
     
    AmaderShomoy:
     
    Janakantha:
     
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    hvhvw` wi‡cvU©
    Avi `ybx©wZ bv Ki‡Z we‡ivax`jxq †bZv Lv‡j`v wRqv‡K bv‡K LZ w`‡q A½xKvi Kivi AvnŸvb Rvwb‡q‡Qb cÖavbgš¿x †kL nvwmbv| wZwb Lv‡j`v wRqvi ... details
     
     
     


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    [chottala.com] India has more poor people than Africa, BBC



    Dear All
     
    There is a new guy in the block who is sending the posts with "Syed Aslam "
    as him name .
     
    Please don't get confused this person with myself.
    this person's email is :
    Syed Aslam
    where as  e-mail is
     
    I don't want to make any comment to the effect if this
    person is an imposter or a fraud !
     He should clarify the situation himself....
     
    I personally believe that is a tactics to confuse the fellow
    members and divert them from the real world  ...!!!!.
     
    Anyway, the erudite readers will be distinguish this guy from myself
    from the theme of the contents of his posts.
     
    Thanks for everyone's patience ..
     
    Syed Aslam  [Syed.Aslam3@gmail.com ]
     
     
     
    From: Syed Aslam syedaslam81@yahoo.com
     
    Syed Aslam
    Marysville, OH
    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    From: Syed Aslam <syedaslam81@yahoo.com>
    Date: Aug 1, 2010 12:23 AM
    Subject: [chottala.com] India has more poor people than Africa, BBC
    To: chottala@yahoogroups.com, notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com, odhora@yahoogroups.com, Bristi_Namai@yahoogroups.com

     
     

    Please see the link below from BBC:



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    [chottala.com] PBS NewsHour on Taliban; September 15,2001 - [Background]




    http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/july-dec01/taliban_9-15.html
     
    a NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Transcript
    Online NewsHour Online Focus
    THE TALIBAN

    September 15, 2001

    After a brief background on the Taliban, experts on Afghanistan discuss the politics behind the Islamic group accused of harboring terrorist Osama bin Laden.

    realaudio

     
    NewsHour Links

    Online NewsHour Special Report:
    The Reponse: After the September 11 Terrorist Attacks
    Full Coverage of September 11, 2001
    Attack on New York
    Attack on Washington
    The Investigation
    The U.S. Response
    Rebuilding Afghanistan 


     

     
    News for Students:
    Terrorist Attack

    Student Forum

    Life as a Muslim

    Teacher Lesson Plan.

     
     
    Outside Links
    The Taliban
    U.S. State Dept.
    White House
    U.S. State Department Office of Counterterrorism
    Terrorism Research Center
    International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism

    U.S. Department of Justice
    National Security Agency
    Central Intelligence Agency
     
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: We get three perspectives now from Robert Oakley, ambassador to Pakistan during the first Bush administration and coordinator for counter terrorism during the Reagan administration. Spozhmai Maiwandi, chief of the Voice of America's push to language news Service which broadcasts into Afghanistan. She was born in Afghanistan and left there in 1982. And Barnett Rubin, director of studies at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. He is the author of several books about Afghanistan.
    Barnett Rubin, who are the Taliban, and where do they come from?
    Afghan's ruling party
    BARNETT RUBIN: The Taliban originated as a group of rural mullahs or religious leaders from southern Afghanistan who had participated largely in the fight against the Soviet Union and then who reorganized in the mid 1990's in their region to overthrow the warlords who were pillaging the region and create a kind of United Islamic Authority there. However, they were then strongly supported by Pakistan, which used them to take control of the country in its own interests, and they have since imposed their kind of puritanical, repressive government on the country, as well as a kind of mono ethnic domination over it. In doing so, they have lost some of the support that they originally enjoyed in the areas where they had brought a kind of rough law and order.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Ambassador Oakley what is the relationship between the Taliban and bin Laden?
    ROBERT OAKLEY: It's very close. The Taliban and bin Laden, particularly Mullah Omar go way, way back. Bin Laden helped Mullah Omar with his mosque in Karachi before he moved into Afghanistan. And he has helped the Taliban with material support since they began their movement in Afghanistan. He's also helped of course, during the war against the Soviets, he helped organize the Arabs basically who didn't do much fighting, but they organized themselves from all over the Muslim world, and that was really Mullah Omar is making use of that assistance, which he has provided really through the auspices of Osama bin Laden. So there are a lot of links, and it's very, very tight. They clearly know what he's doing, they clearly are supporting him, they clearly are facilitating not only Osama bin Laden, but other terrorists who reside in Afghanistan, who are creating problems all the way from China to Algeria.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Spozhmai Maiwandi do you agree that the relationship is tight?
    SPOZHMAI MAIWANDI: Yes, do I. And it's not only the Taliban officials, but generally in the country, all people they support Osama bin Laden. They think he's a Mujahid. And Barney Rubin actually had a study on - and the reason he's popular is because he is a Mujahid, which is holy warrior, and helped the Afghan people during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and he is a Mujahid, which means a person who has left his country and taken refuge in another country and culturally according to Islam, they have to support him wholeheartedly. And the third reason is of course he has helped them a lot financially, still they help him.
    View from Afghanistan
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And what are you hearing, Ms. Maiwandi from the people you're talking to in Afghanistan -- their view of what's happening right now and what bin Laden's role is in all of this?
    SPOZHMAI MAIWANDI: The view of the people of Afghanistan, including the Taliban and including their leader Mullah Omar is --
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: I'm sorry. Let me just be clear. You're talking by phone to some officials in the government, is that right?
    SPOZHMAI MAIWANDI: On a daily basis, yeah. We actually yesterday had a reaction from Mullah Omar himself on this incident. He strongly condemns the incident and calls it terrorism and he says that the Taliban and the people of Afghanistan are against any kind of terrorism, wherever it may happen; and those who are responsible for it should be punished severely. But they think that Osama bin Laden is not involved, and so do the people of Afghanistan. They say that the people who are responsible for this attack must be punished, but the U.S. has to think a lot before going after Osama in Afghanistan. And they think that this is something that needs a lot of more study and more review.
    bin Laden's network
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Mr. Rubin, what kind of bases, and how many people does bin Laden have in what parts of Afghanistan?
    BARNETT RUBIN: Well, there are a number of bases or camps where his militants work and train. We know where some of them are. Probably the largest one is what is known as the 55th Brigade in Bath on the border with Uzbekistan, which is also the headquarters for the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan, an Islamic group that has come under his aegis. But I think it's important to emphasize, first of all, that while Osama bin Laden and many important followers of his are in Afghanistan, they are not Afghans. No Afghans have been involved in any of these events that have been blamed on Osama bin Laden. And second, that most of the... that he is the leader of a worldwide network, and only is kind of the core of it is in Afghanistan. It's much larger.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And Ambassador Oakley, what do you know about where he is, how much of a base he has in what places?
    ROBERT OAKLEY: Well, as we heard in the previous segment, and Barney was just talking about, this is indeed a worldwide movement. As we've said before, they are affiliated; Osama bin Laden doesn't have a tight organization. He has a whole network of affiliated groups and organizations -- from Algeria, from Egypt...
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: But I'm talking about in Afghanistan.
    ROBERT OAKLEY: In Afghanistan, again, it's hard to separate what's happening in Afghanistan from the rest of the world because you think that you may possibly eliminate him in Afghanistan, which will cause you to go to war with the people of Afghanistan ultimately, but you find then that you have not eliminated him because these groups exist in Germany, they exist all over the Muslim world, but they exist in the West, too. And they are semiautonomous, so you have to take all this into account as to how you go about it. But in Afghanistan, he has a sizable group of Arabs who have been there with him for 10 years, who he worked to bring to Afghanistan and consolidated them into a movement.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And what do you make of the denial by the leadership of the Taliban that he was involved?
    ROBERT OAKLEY: Well, it's a question of how you do it. He himself didn't fly the plane into the trade tower, so they can say he wasn't involved. And because these groups are sort-of-semiautonomous, he can say, "well be, it wasn't I." He often describes himself as a facilitator. And that's probably true; he inspired them. He provides finance; he perhaps arranges things. But there are a lot of independents within this organization.

    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Spozhmai Maiwandi people in Afghanistan have a lot of concerns besides bin Laden, right - right now - because of the drought and the suffering?

    SPOZHMAI MAIWANDI: They do. They do. And this is an additional concern that they have. They've come out to the streets and they've said that, we condemn these attacks strongly. The interviews that we have had with people, that's what they are saying that, we are in this pain with the people of America and with the government of America, but we hope that they would not hit us -- it's hunger, it's war and we should -- must remember that this war situation has been in Afghanistan since 1979, and most of the country's infrastructure was destroyed during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan -- and then afterwards the civil war up to this date. And the drought has been going on there for the past four years. So yes, they are extremely concerned.
      Calculating the U.S. response
      ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: All right, Barnett Rubin, given Afghanistan's long history of repelling invasions, given the isolation of villages and people, given what is known or not known about bin Laden, given the Taliban's relationship, what should the U.S. do now?
    BARNETT RUBIN: Well, I can't lay out a whole plan. I just want to make one thing clear --
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And tell us your concerns about this.
    BARNETT RUBIN: Yes. I'm concerned that we might label Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan as our enemy and go to war against them, and that would be a huge mistake. Even the people who joined the Taliban, most of them did not join the Taliban in order to fight against the... fight a war against the United States in alliance with Osama bin Laden. They joined the Taliban because they thought it perhaps a way of rebuilding their country, building law and order to them or even they thought it was a way of imposing their kind of reactionary form of Islamic law on Afghanistan, but not to wage war against the United States. And if Mullah Omar tries to drag the Taliban into such a war I'm not at all not convinced even all the Taliban -- let alone the people of Afghanistan -- will follow him.
    I think it's important that whatever we do, we should make it clear that the best bulwark we can have against terrorists from outside Afghanistan-- and I want to emphasize again, these are from outside Afghanistan and the political problems they're responding to are in the Middle East - they're not in Afghanistan-- to assure that they can't work freely in Afghanistan. The best way is to help the people of Afghanistan establish a national legitimate government there. They are the only ones who can establish security there. The United States or a U.S.-led foreign occupation force is not going to be able to do that by itself. No invader has ever been able to do that; and they won't be able to do it this time either.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: I'm sorry, go ahead. Finish.
    BARNETT RUBIN: So there are groups of Afghans, both on the ground and abroad, who have been working. Pakistan has been blocking their actions. Among the things that we should demand of Pakistan is that it allow us to train, equip and work with politically and militarily those Afghans who are prepared to establish that kind of a national government so that they can do the job, and that in itself will stabilize the region.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Okay, Mr. Ambassador, given everything we've been talking about, what do you think the U.S. should do?
    ROBERT OAKLEY: Well, I think that Barney is right. We need to do what we can to win Afghans over to the side of this crusade to save civilization, as Secretary of State Powell calls it, which I think is exactly the right way to put it. It's not the United States against the people of Afghanistan or the United States against the Taliban; it's the United States and the rest of the world trying to save civilization, and we need to put it in that context, to begin with. We do indeed need to do what Barney's talking about, encourage as many Afghans as possible to rally around to a new approach to dealing with Afghan affairs and to keep Afghanistan from becoming a target, an enemy to the rest of the world, including the United States.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And if bin Laden is shown to have provided guidance, direction, leadership here and support from his bases, what should be done?
    ROBERT OAKLEY: Well, I think he clearly has provided a great deal of support, not just to this operation, but to the bombings in Africa, to the "Cole," to a lot of things. And we're going to have to, I think, exercise, if we can, military power but in a very carefully focused way and using, as the Secretary of State has pointed out, a lot of other things too, intelligence, public relations. We have to use more assistance to Afghanistan to try to help the people of Afghanistan, not merely consider all of them to be enemies -- not allow Mullah Omar to accomplish his objective - not Mullah Omar but allow Mullah Omar to be dragged into it by Osama bin Laden, in which case we go to war with the Taliban and ultimately the people of Afghanistan. That is a loser. We have to try to separate these things out.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And Spozhmai Maiwandi, what's your view about what should be done?
    SPOZHMAI MAIWANDI: I think agree with both Mr. Oakley and also Barney Rubin but at the same time I would like to mention that any solution for Afghanistan that is imposed from outside would not acceptable. The history of Afghanistan has shown that. So it has to come from within. And one way that we could help that is try to help with reconstruction of Afghanistan's economy, what forces people to accept the situation right now as it is -- is because they are poor. The infrastructure has been destroyed. So if the development starts, maybe that will help towards peace and toward formation of a government that is brought by the people and liked by the people.
    ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Thank you all three.


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