The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Matur Rahman Nizami Saturday dismissed allegation of war crimes against him, saying that if allegation is brought against him afresh he would fight it legally and politically.

Talking to UNB at his office on the post-election situation, he said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had declared general amnesty for those who opposed the liberation war barring those involved in four specific crimes-killing, rape, loot and arson.

"None of these four allegations were raised or any case in these connections was filed against us during the three and a half-year rule of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's government," Nizami said.

He said the list of 195 prisoners of war prepared during the post-independence Awami League government did not contain the names of any civilians or Bangladeshis.

The Jamaat chief said those 195 Pakistani prisoners of war were repatriated to Pakistan following a tripartite agreement signed by the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in New Delhi on April 9, 1974.

He said about 37,500 people were arrested on various charges after the liberation war and most of them were released through legal process.

Nizami said Jamaat's political decision about the 1971 liberation was based on emotion and not on realism. "A political decision may be wrong and unrealistic but we were not involved in any criminal offences," he added.

The Jamaat chief believed that they come under the general amnesty declared by Bangabandbu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman since they were not involved in any of the four criminal offences and no case was filed against them in the last 37 years.

He said legal experts will now decide whether there is any moral and legal ground to file case against them after the declaration of the general amnesty.

Asked if trial commences on specific evidence, Nizami said he will face it legally and since it is a political issue, he will face it politically too.

"I firmly believe, if there is fair trial, there is no scope of proving any allegation against me," he said, adding that allegation of war crimes was raised as "propaganda" against him after he was elected the Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Replying to another question, Nizami said there was no war crime case against Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and he is not aware of any such allegation against his party's assistant secretary general Mohammad Qamaruzzaman.

On the post-election violence, he said violence and killings across the country and capturing of university halls in Dhaka and Rajshahi bore ominous signs for the fate of democracy. It is the responsibility of the government to take immediate steps to stop this to maintain law and order.

Asked about the debacle of his party and the 4-party alliance in the December 29 election, the Jamaat chief said people had voted for them but the results are unthinkable.

Casting doubts over average voter turnout of more than 80 percent, he felt that some "sophisticated" government mechanism was in place on the election-day that caused the debacle for them.