NO WAY JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI DENY THEIR ROLE AS WAR CRIMINALS

Jamaat-e-Islami, which yesterday once again denied its anti-liberation role during the 1971 War of Independence, had many of its top leaders among the Razakar members surrendering along with the Pakistan occupation forces on December 16, 1971.

Present Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was the chief of Al-Badr, one of the two wings of the Army of Razakars that worked for the Pakistan armed forces to eliminate freedom fighters. The Al Badr is thought to be behind the massacre of the intellectuals on December 14, 1971 when a hundred intellectuals were picked up to be slaughtered.

Lt Gen Niazi’s account:
According to the account of events chronicled by Lt Gen AAK Niazi, who led the Pakistan occupation forces as the chief of Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army in 1971, render the Jamaat’s claim untrue, whom the Jamaat wholeheartedly supported in eliminating freedom fighters in 1971.

Niazi in his book ''The Betrayal of East Pakistan" has categorically said the Army of Razakars was formed by the Pakistan government to fight against the liberation forces. Niazi also describes the formation of the Razakars, training and procurement of weapons and other logistics for them and deployment of the paramilitary vigilante force.

In his book, he says Jamaat-e-Islami, Nizam-i-Islam Party and several factions of Muslim League were known as rightist political parties at the time and the Army of Razakars was formed with the men recruited from these parties.

"Seventy percent of the target ceiling, of 50,000 Razakars spread over all the districts of the province, was achieved. Battle schools were established to train Razakar platoon and company commanders. To provide an effective command structure to this organisation, about sixty young officers were selected to be appointed as Razakar Group Commanders," Niazi says.

Pleased with their performance, Niazi dedicated his book to the Razakars and Mujahids of East Pakistan along with the members of the armed forces, civil armed forces, civilian officers and the West Pakistan police, saying they "strove hard, made supreme sacrifices and suffered humiliation to keep Pakistan united".

Maj Siddiq Salik’s account:
In fact, Jamaat's dominance in the paramilitary force annoyed other parties.
Maj Siddiq Salik, who was the public relations officer of the then Eastern Command of Pakistan Army and worked closely with Niazi in 1971, in his book "Witness to Surrender" says in September 1971 a political delegation from West Pakistan complained to Niazi that he had raised an army dominated by Jamaat men.

"The General called me to his office and said: From now on, you will call the Razakars--Al-Badr and Al-Shams--to give the impression that they do not belong to one single party," Salik writes.

He observes that the Jamaat leaders collaborated with the Pakistan army "not only to advance their ideals of Pakistan as an Islamic state, but also to wreak vengeance on people they were at enmity with".

There are Historic Documents:
According to the historic document of surrender, the Razakars also conceded defeat in the country's Liberation War along with the Pakistan armed forces. "...This surrender includes all Pakistan land, air, and naval forces as also all paramilitary forces and civil armed forces," says the instrument of surrender signed between the chiefs of the Pakistan occupation forces and the Indian and Bangladesh liberation forces.

Military schools were set up to train the Razakars and a separate Razakars Directorate was established. The Razakars were provided with machine guns, sten guns and intelligence against Bangalee freedom fighters, their supporters and sympathisers.

Jamaat leaders Golam Azam, Abbas Ali Khan, Motiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid launched a countrywide campaign urging youths to join the Razakars, Al-Badr, and the Al-Shams to resist the liberation forces of Bangladesh. The then home ministry also sent reports to West Pakistan about the activities of these forces in favour of the Pakistan occupation forces.

As the newspapers suggest, the top leadership of the Jamaat has been involved in the rape and killing during the war of liberation. Due to their involvement in the anti-liberation activities, Jamaat was constitutionally banned after the country's independence and many Jamaat leaders had to face trial on charges of war crimes.
Source: Online