Full text released
Ministers, civil and military high officials of the then BNP-Jamaat alliance government in collaboration with Paresh Baruah, leader of Indian separatist organization United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), had been the masterminds behind the smuggling of the huge arms and ammunition.
A special court here came up with the observation while releasing today (Tuesday) the full text its January 30 pronounced judgments containing 514 pages on decade-old arms and smuggling cases filed in connection with the 10-truck arms haul in 2004.
While discharging their responsibilities to protect state security, the officials had committed a grievous offence by giving shelter to Paresh Baruah, a separatist leader of a neighbouring country, observed the tribunal.
It further observed that had the officials of NSI and DGFI been refrained from abetting Paresh Baruah, such big incident could not have occurred.
Omar Fuad, bench assistant of Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, confirmed UNB about it.
On Thursday, Judge SM Mojibur Rahman of Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal handed down verdict in the sensational 10-truck arms smuggling case awarding death sentence to 14 people, including detained Jamaat-e-Islami ameer and war crimes accused Matiur Rahman Nizami and former State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar.
The condemned convicts also include former DGFI (Directorate General of Forces Intelligence) director Maj Gen (retd) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury, former DG of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim, and three other NSI officials – director (security) Wing Commander Shahab Uddin Ahmed, deputy director Maj (retd) Liakat Hossain and field officer Akbar Hossain Khan.
Others awarded death penalty in the case are United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah; former additional secretary (industry) Nurul Amin; the then Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Ltd (CUFL) MD Mahsin Uddin Talukder and its GM (administration) KM Enamul Hoque; three businessmen Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, Deen Mohammad and Haji Abdus Subhan.
Besides, the 14 convicts were also sentenced to life term imprisonment under section 19(A) and seven years imprisonment under section 19 (C) of the Arms Act filed in connection with the arms haul. The condemned convicts were also fined Tk 5 lakh each.
While delivering verdict, the tribunal said the role of the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia over the arms haul was “mysterious”.
It said, “Then director general of the DGFI Maj Gen (retd) Sadik Hasan Rumi, accused in the cases, informed then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia about the arms haul over telephone, but she remained silent.”
The court viewed that some deviant military officials joined hands with the ULFA leader to hamper the existing good bilateral relations with neighbouring India.
It remarked that involvement of several military officials in the arms haul cases tarnished the country’s glorious foreign policy.
On April 1, 2004, ten trucks of arms were seized from two vessels at the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd jetty.
Two cases — one for arms and another for smuggling — were filed with Karnaphuli Police Station the following day under the Special Powers Act and the Arms Act.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted charge-sheet against 44 people in the two cases on June 11, 2004. Further investigation was held following a petition filed by the state. CID again submitted supplementary charge-sheet on August 25, 2004, but most of the accused in the charge-sheet were workers and boatmen.
After the 1/11 changeover, Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court ordered further investigation in the two cases following a petition by the State.
Muniruzzaman Chowdhury, senior assistant superintendent of CID and the 5th investigation officer of the cases, submitted two supplementary charge-sheets in June 2011, accusing 11 new suspects including Lutfozzaman Babar and Matiur Rahman Nizami. Charges were framed against the new 11 accused on November 15, 2011.
Source: UNB Connect
Whoever planed and jeopordized the national security and does crime against any innocent people must get their dues by laws. At the same time we must be careful any innocent persons should not get punishments
Aiding and sheltering dissidents and separatists of another country is NOT considered to be a crime in the present day “if it falls within the foreign policy objectives” of a country. There are many examples in the world where countries have engaged in such activities in the past and, I am sure, will also continue to engage in such policies in the future. An extreme example of such activities is the USA – a country which seem to have a blank check authority to go anywhere in the world, killing innocent men, women and children and plundering their resources, by day or by night – all in pursuit of US foreign policy objectives. The question is whether the 2004 incident of Bangladesh was a result of our the then foreign policy. With so many high government officials involved it seems to me to be so. And if so, then these individuals were only doing their jobs.
The next question should be why is the present government so enthusiastic in pursuing the case in the manner they have? For anyone with any knowledge of Bangladesh politics should be able to figure this one quickly.Trust me, it is not to enforce rule of law or anything else like that. For a self-elected government rule of law is never an issue and transparency and accountability is never their concern. The only thing that remains, again, is whether it is a foreign policy issue of the present government or not. Could this be an effort to please our great neighbor, India, the protector and guarantor of our current illegitimate government?