The cross examination of Sultana Kamal, a witness in the case of Golam Azam, continued (
following on from here). The questions were asked by Mohammad Kafiluddin Ahmed.
Defence: Nurul Amin was made the Prime Minister during the liberation war and Raja Tridib Roy was a minister of that Ministerial Council.
Witness: It is true, but there is nothing to be so surprised; because in the event of every liberation wars the attackers force tends to appoint some of the people from the community of attacked and victims to deceive the people and to stop the people from saying anything about the ethnic cleansing and genocide over the community.
Defence: You are saying the above words in a motivated manner.
Witness: No. After the liberation war the following words have been uttered in several books; as a responsive citizen I am stating those incidents by explain so.
Defence: There was no member from Jamaat-e-Islami in the Ministerial council of Nurul Amin.
Witness: It might be.
Defence: Onshopru Chowdhury was the Buddhist leader and he has been elected as an MNA in the 1970 election. He was a member of the Ministerial Council leaded by Dr. Malek and has represented the people from his respective area.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Who was the Chief of Mohila Sangram Parishad which has been established on 1969?
Witness: My mother renowned Poet Sufia Kamal was the Chief and Maleka Begum was the Editor.
Defence: What did you mean by the mainstream politics in your statement?
Witness: I have meant Awami League.
Defence: Where did your mother, father, and brother stay during the liberation war?
Witness: They were staying at the house of Dhanmondi.
Defence: Did your mother receive several awards and certificates on the following years, namely- 1961, 1962, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1995 and 1996?
Witness: She has received so many awards but I can’t confirm all the years now.
Defence: Your mother used to write on a monthly magazine named Mahe Nou and Poet Abdul Kadir was the Editor of that magazine.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Your mother has praised Mr. Kayede Azam on her several write ups.
Chairman: Did she say anywhere in his statement in favor or against Mr. Kayede Azam; why are you asking these questons?
Defence: She has created poems by praising Kayede Azam.
Witness: There is no chance to highlight the personal grief or cheers. I have not come here to say against Ghulam Azam from any personal grievance.
Chairman: Okay. Go to next question. We will not admit the former question.
Defence: Is you sister and brother alive till date?
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Have you preserved the letters from your brother who was living at America on the time of liberation war?
Witness: No.
Defence: There was no mentioning of Ghulam Azam in those letters so you are concealing the letters.
Witness: Not true.
Defence: You are the executive director of Ain O Salish Kendro.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Do you receive monthly salary from this organization?
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Where did you stay and what did you do in 1984?
Witness: I was residing at Sylhet and was doing freelance consultancy at that time. I was there at Sylhet in the period of 1982 to 1990.
Defence: Were you involved with the same profession subsequently?
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Who is your senior when you have been enrolled on the Bar?
Witness: Learned Advocate J N Dev.
Defence: For how long you have gone to the Court for practice?
Witness: To avail the Certificate as a lawyer one is required to attend the court for minimum 6 months; I have attended for six months and was involved with civil practice.
Defence: Do you still hold the membership of Bar Council?
Witness: Yes but I am not practicing right now.
Defence: Did you given any declaration during the time of your intimation as a Lawyer that- you are not involved with any other profession?
Witness: Yes.
Defence: You have also stated there that you have assisted your senior at Criminal cases.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Have you gone through the Constitution of Jamaat-e-Islami?
Witness: No.
Defence: Do you have any idea how to become a member or the process of the cancellation of the membership of that organization?
Witness: No.
Defence: You have stated that at that time Pakistan Army was involved with atrocities and some people were assisting them and the Newspapers were publishing the relevant news. Can you state the name of the Newspapers who were highlighting those news?
Witness: I meant the Daily Azad and Daily Purbodesh.
Defence: Can you state the dates of publication?
Witness: On 5th and 7th April, 1971.
Defence: There is no mentioning of the following incidents in these newspapers about the activities of Ghulam Azam as you are stating.
Witness: Not true.
Defence: The Daily Azad has published a news on 6th April, 1971 that- To visit the military dictator of with the leadership of Nurul Amin and to ask him to help in reviving the normal condition of the country. But it has not stated anything about Ghulam Azam.
Witness: Might be; but Daily Purbodesh has stated about Ghulam Azam on that time and also stated the lead role of Ghulam Azam to form Peace Committee. Several meetings and public gatherings have been held in continuation of this. Even, a ticket containing the image of the signature of Ghulam Azam has been sold by one taka on that time for this purpose.
Defence: Daily Azad has published a news about the formation of Peace Committee on 11th April , 1971 after the meeting of Nurul Amin with the military dictator.
Witness: It has been published but I am not sure about the date of publication.
Defence: Muslim League leader Khaja Khoyeruddin was the coordinator of the Peace Committee.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: There were 140 members on that team.
Witness: I don’t know.
Defence: There was a line in the declaration of the Peace Committee that: to restore the normal condition and to remove the anxieties from the mind of the people the committee has been formed.
Witness: It is true. When people were being killed brutally- and being evicted from the residence, the houses and property were being burnt then on that time by saying these sorts of incidents as baseless they were trying to conceal their offences.
Defence: You are saying the above words from your personal grief and hatred of Ghulam Azam and the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Witness: Not true.
Defence: You have stated that- ‘Ghulam Azam has expressed that- the freedom fighters are the main perpetrators’. Have you submitted any supporting documents (i.e. Paper, statement or leaflet) in regard of this statement to the IO or do you hold any copy of the statements?
Witness: I have the documents and given to the IO, but right now I am not with those documents.
Defence: Do you have any supporting documents (newspaper, statements, leaflet) about your statement about forcing the people to join Peace Committee or have you submitted any relevant paper to the IO?
Witness: Yes.
Chairman: Do you think that at the time of liberation war any newspaper will publish that people have been pressurized to join the Peace Committee?
Defence: I have meant both the national and international Newspapers.
Chairman: Okay.
Defence: Do you have any newspaper in your collection?
Witness: No.
Defence: You have stated that- you came to know that- Ghulam Azam is forming a killer force. Is there any report about it in any national or international newspapers?
Witness: I don’t know. But these news have been circulated to us from the freedom fighters who were getting into the country from India and returned from the country with the troops.
Defence: When you got to knew it?
Witness: During August to October.
Defence: Can you please state some of the names of those freedom fighters?
Witness: Khaled Mosharrof and Major Haidar used to pass the news to us when they were stating about the country and the condition of our relatives. When we have gone to India on June, 1971 we have found Khaled Mosharrof who was appointed as the commander of sector-2.
Defence: Jamaat-e-Islami is a political organization.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Ghulam Azam was the Ameer of East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: From when he has taken the charge of Ameer?
Witness: I don’t know.
Defence: The Razakar, Al-Badar, Al- Shams have been formed on or after April, 1971.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: The Peace Committee was the Social force and the Razakar, Al-Badar, Al-Shams were the auxiliary force.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: After the liberation of Bangladesh these committees and the teams have automatically been abolished.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Was Ghulam Azam the official head of any organization?
Witness: No. But his subordinate Motiur Rahman Nizami was the Al-Badar head and Ghulam Azam has played a vital role in the following four forces. Hitler was not the Chief or the member of Nazi force but he has played the lead role in the torture and brutalities of the Nazi force. Likewise Ghulam Azam was not the head of those following four forces but these organizations used to run with his direction. I think Ghulam Azam has played the same role which Hitler has played during the Second World War.
Defence: My Lord, these are so long statements to concentrate and I have not asked her what she has mentioned about the comparison of Hitlar and Ghulam Azam.
Chairman: You are not supposed to ask any question that a witness could get the chance to talk more.
Defence: During the Second World War, Hitler was in power of Germany; but in 1971 Yahya Khan and Pakistan Governor Tikka Khan were in the state power.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Ghulam Azam was not the as powerful as Hitler was.
Witness: Yes.
Defence: Your comparison in between Ghulam and Hitlar is fake and with malicious intention.
Witness: Not true.
Chairman: Okay the Tribunal is adjourned till 2 P.M.
Defence: After our victory, in all historical records and books a comparison was drawn between Yahya Khan and Tikka Khan with German president Adolf Hitlar, and you are distorting history by including Golam Azam’s name with them.
Witness: Then I added his name with them.
Defence: Are you adding his name now
Witness: Yes because the question did not arise earlier.
Defence: Is there any document where from the higher authority of Pakistani Army, Golam Azam was praised?
Witness: Yes there is.
Defence: Golam Azam did not recognize the influence of the activities of any military force upon a politician.
Witness: It is his own opinion.
Defence: The boy who was caught from the house of Hamildullah khan at the period of liberation war, did you make any attempt to find him at war time and after war as well?
Witness: yes we did but didn’t get him.
Defence: what was the name of that boy?
Witness: I can’t remember his name right at this moment.
Defence: Had the name of Golam azam come as the leader of Rajakar, Al-Badr, Al-shams in any newspaper of 1971?
Witness: It didn’t come as a leader but it can be presumed from his activities.
Defence: Did you give any paper cutting of 1971 to the investigation officer where the name of Golam Azam came as a leader of Rajakar, Al-Badr, and Al-shams force.
Witness: Not the paper of 1971 but some paper cutting that came afterwards.
Defence: Whether auxiliary force made any plan or strategy of a mission and which was decided upon or approved by the regular military force.
The question was long and the justices asked the defense counsel to make it short by dividing it many parts, the prosecution lawyer Haider Ali protested that a mere civilian like the witness in not supposed to answer this question. Chief of the tribunal justice Nizamul Haque asked him to sit down and said that we have already spent much time over this issue
Witness: Generally it seems so.
Defence: Who was the leader of the Auxiliary force, before coming under the control of the Government by gazette?
Witness: I don’t remember.
Defence: Did you tell the names of those women whom you brought to the Women Rehabilitation Centre?
Witness: Yes I did.
Defence: Did you give the interviews to the I.O. the names of those oppressed women who were raped in 1971?
Witness: No I was unable to give because those were destroyed from there, where it was kept.
Defence: When they are destroyed?
Witness: I don’t know exact date and time.
Defence: After 1975 did you lodge any FIR for this or anything like that?
Witness: It was the duty of the authority of that Rehabilitation Centre, whether they did or not I don’t know.
Then the court was adjourned.
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