The prosecution has failed to submit within the deadline the formal charge of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War allegedly perpetrated by Jamaat-e-Islami policymaker Mir Kashem Ali, now in custody.
Allowing another seven weeks’ time on March 3, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 set today (Wednesday) as the deadline for submitting the formal war crimes charges against Mir Kashem Ali.
As the matter came up before the three-member tribunal, designated prosecutor Sultan Mahmud Simon moved a petition seeking more time without reasonable explanation.
Moving the time plea, the prosecutor told the tribunal that the formal charge is yet to be completed. “It needs more time to complete the task over the matter,” he said.
The day’s move seeking further time was the seventh occasion when the investigation agency through the prosecution sought time for completing the task of submitting the formal charge.
The tribunal, however, allowed the prosecution time for a fortnight, asking it to submit the formal charge on May 9.
Plainclothes police arrested Mir Kashem Ali from a newspaper office in the capital hours after the tribunal issued warrant for his arrest on June 17 last year.
According to prosecution, Mir Kashem Ali, the then Chittagong district head of Al Badr, had perpetrated crimes against humanity like killing, looting, abduction, persecution, genocide, rape and setting fire to the houses of unarmed civilians during the Liberation War in collaboration with Pakistan occupation army.
The war-crimes accused had also set up makeshift torture camps at different places in the port city where the freedom-loving people were handed down for punishment.
Source: UNB Connect
Mir Kashem Ali was – may be he still is – the Bangladesh Director of Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL). MWL is a semi-government Saudi Dawah, Inter-faith & Social organization with offices in many countries of the world. Its operations were suspended in the US.