Farewell Ghulam Azam?

Ghulam Azam – the convicted war criminal and mastermind of the Bangladesh genocide – is gone and buried safe as per his wishes. Shame on Bangladesh!

I remember meeting Ghulam Azam twice while I was working for Agence France-Presse. The first time, I went to his Moghbazar office without an appointment for a quick interview, and I came back with a few lines, which served my purpose to some extent. The second time, I was there with the Asia-Pacific chief with an official appointment.

Both of the times, I neither shook hands with him nor drank a drop of water from his office. How could I? It was all stained with the blood of the martyrs, or Bengali-loving people. I could see blood dropping from his hands and his fangs bared – the way he was portrayed in many posters.

He returned during President Ziaur Rahman’s military rule, and got his Bangladeshi citizenship during Begum Khaleda Zia’s rule. Then, the meetings started about his punishment.

The insult that he was given a Bangladeshi passport was unacceptable to most of the people of Bangladesh. Thus, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul committee – a platform for people of all ages and professions seeking the trial of Ghulam Azam for war crimes – was born.

Jahanara Imam led the movement, and a huge mock trial was held at the Suhrawardy Udyan with at least 100,000 people. Some of them went there with their children, despite the high risk of a confrontation. Khaleda Zia’s government deployed a huge police force on all the roads leading to the Suhrawardy Udyan and in the park itself.

We, again, had to wait for years. Then came a thumping victory of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. The trial started. Ghulam Azam was saved because of his age, and was sentenced to 90 years in prison. He became so sick, that he was given the comfort of a hospital, where he died.

Except for a shoe from Badhan, nothing happened, and his janaza as well as burial ended properly. Why? Where were all those political groups, or people who so strongly spoke of his death penalty? Why did the freedom fighters across the country remain silent? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind – as the song goes.

Kudos to Badhan and shame on all of us. Farewell! Yes, farewell Ghulam Azam. Except for the conviction, he has won, and we have to admit it red-faced, as nowhere else in the world could a war criminal have gotten away so easily.