Dr S Q R Ilyas, member Central Advisory Council – Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Editor of Urdu monthly magazine Afkar e Milli spoke on the recent hanging of the Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh in the weekly ijtema at Jamaat headquarters at New Delhi.

 

Dr Ilyas observed that: ‘’the execution of the Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh is extremely disturbing. Since the last few years, there has been a visible rise in the suppression and intimidation of Islamic movements all over the world. This clampdown can be traced in Algeria, Egypt, Syria and then Bangladesh.

 

The hanging of Maulana Nizami is part of a chain of executions of the top leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.

 

 

The Shaikh Hasina government is rattled by the popularity of Jamaat-e-Islami and its recent success in the municipal elections. It is therefore resorting to politics of revenge and carrying out judicial killings of the Jamaat leadership in a brazen attempt to destroy all political opposition and impose a one person dictatorship.

 

 

The allegations against Maulana Nizami are absolutely baseless and false. His only crime was that he was the chief of the student wing (Jamiat Tulba e Islami) of Jamaat-e-Islami East Pakistan and both the Jamaat and Jamiat were opposed to the partition of Pakistan’’.

 

 

 

Citing historical facts, Dr Ilyas said that: ‘’after the formation of Bangladesh 37,471 people were charged with various war crimes of which 2,848 were prosecuted and only 720 were convicted. The rest were discharged for lack of evidence.

 

 

It is important to note that not a single person from Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh was convicted. After the Tripartite Agreement between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in 1972 it was decided to withdraw all criminal cases against those charged for war crimes and which led to the declaration of general amnesty for all in 1975.

 

 

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh was banned after the formation of Bangladesh but the ban was uplifted and it was given recognition as a valid organization in 1978. Ever since, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh is playing an effective and influential role in the progress and development of Bangladesh.

 

 

Maulana Nizami was elected to the Parliament for two terms (1991-95 & 2001-2006). He was the former Agriculture Minister (2001-2003) and Industry Minister (2003-2006) of Bangladesh. There was also a time when both the Awami League of Shaikh Hasina and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh had joined hands and agitated together against martial law imposed in the country.

 

 

It is therefore extremely excruciating to fathom why after 43 years the Jamaat has been targeted and attempts made to finish it politically.

 

 

There have been many well researched books written on the formation of Bangladesh and the atrocities committed by the Pakistan army but nowhere can you find any mention of any member of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh as part of those who oppressed and killed Bangladeshis’’. Dr Ilyas also said that: ’’the sham “International Crime Tribunals” and their proceedings have been declared mala fide and perfidious against international legal standards by almost all global institutions including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

 

 

 

The program was attended by Vice President Nusrat Ali, Secretary General Salim Engineer and Secretary Muhammad Raffat besides a large gathering.