Offensives on Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh

by Dr. Mohua Deb Nath
July 14, 2010

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/864/offensives-on-jamaat-e-islami-bangladesh

Bangladesh government has arrested two more 'big fishes' of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh [JIB] on July 13, 2010. Abdul Kader Mullah and Kamaruzzaman are known for their brutalities and atrocities on civilians, especially the Hindus and religious minorities during the war of independence in 1971. Earlier, three more leaders of JIB named Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mujahid and Moulana Delwar Hussain Saidi were arrested on numerous charges. But the arrests of the two on July 13 were on specific charges of war crime.

Trying the war criminals is a national aspiration. We have every reason of hope that the present government of Bangladesh Awami League will eliminate the war criminals from this country by bringing each of them on trial and ensuring that all of these culprits get capital punishment. It is my personal opinion that, only death penalty will make sure that these culprits will not be able to come out of the prison in years. The government should put them on summary trial thus executing these war criminals, one-by-one. The entire process should not take more than six months.

Every nation in the world has tried the war criminals. Bangladesh should not be any exception in this case. Most importantly, trial of war criminals should not be under regular law of the land. Because it is time consuming and will only give chance to the culprits and perpetrators in ultimately escaping death sentence or conviction through various loopholes, if they are given any time through lengthy legal procedure.

While government continues offensives on JIB, one important issue should always be at the top of attention of the policymakers of Bangladesh. Since independence in 1971, JIB has been able to gain organizational as well as financial strength as it enjoyed direct and indirect support from various political parties, including the present ruling party. JIB has scores of business establishments in Bangladesh, starting from banks to insurance companies to media houses. Thousands of JIB cadres are mostly employed and engaged in these projects. On the other hand, JIB has a very strong media base inside and outside Bangladesh.

Its student front is known as one of the most notorious one in the country. It was reported in local and international media that, JIB cadres inside various campuses in Bangladesh are holding hundreds of arms as well many of these cadres are well trained in making explosives. Pakistani intelligence agency ISI (Inter-Service Intelligence) is one of the key patrons of JIB and its activities. There are several sympathized Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia, which also maintains closer links with this Islamist political party.

Trial of the war criminals will put a large number of top-ranking JIB leaders into trouble, and if fair trial and faster procedure is ensured, many of these leaders will face capital punishment. On the other hand, a huge segment of JIB activists, who are known as 'new generation JIB members' were not involved in war crime, as many of them were born after 1971. This particular group will take over the leadership of this Islamist party in future, especially when the segments of war criminals in JIB are eliminated through the trial of war criminals. In such case, there is a valid question in the minds of many, as to whether the trial will ultimately open a new scope for JIB in rather coming at the mainstream politics in Bangladesh, under the leadership of those newer generations in the party.

We need to remember here one point that, even if JIB will change its leadership by replacing the olds with the new faces, it will always will remain as an extremist Islamist party, which only will play active role in repressing the religious minorities in Bangladesh as well as its own mission of Islamizing Bangladesh. Secularist forces will always remain as the worst enemies of JIB, as it has always been in the past. Moreover, JIB's connection with Pakistani intelligence agency will signal one point that, this party's main agenda will be to sabotage our independence and sovereignty, thus turning Bangladesh into a subservient nation to Pakistan.

We heard in local press that Bangladesh government one looking for one of the JIB masterminds and the key figure in JIB's expansionist policy in economic sector, Mir Kashem Ali, who also is a notorious war criminal. This man operates several pro-JIB financial institutions including dozens of business establishments, Islamist NGOs as well as newspapers and a TV channel. He has excellent relations with Saudi monarchs and several important figures in the Arab world.

Though the current government in Dhaka were earlier looking for Mir Kashem Ali quite desperately, especially when he 'managed' to go abroad for couple of weeks. It was reported in the local media that Mir Kashem Ali would be arrested at Dhaka International Airport on his return. But, with utter surprise, the entire nation witnesses that, Mir Kashem Ali returned home. And the state machinery was rather paralyzed in either arresting him. Policymakers of the present government turned light lipped on this man, right after his latest foreign tour. There is no sign that Mir Kashem Ali will also be arrested for his direct involvement in numerous war crimes.

One of the ministers in the present cabinet (most possibly the information minister) told reporters after the Channel One was shut down that, Mir Kashem Ali's Diganta TV will also be closed down in few days. But, there was later no sign of shutting down either Mir Kashem Ali's Diganta TV or his huge media empire. There is rumor that, Saudi government in particular conveyed a message to the current government in Bangladesh, which helps Mir Kashem Ali in remaining above the grips of law.

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