JNN 18 Mar 2013 BEIJING – China’s parliament has elected Xi Jinping as New President, and Li Keqiang as Premier . Continue reading
Monthly Archives: March 2013
Indian Govt for the Recovery of Marines Puts Italian Ambassador on ECL
JNN 18 Mar 2013 Delhi : India’s airports were put on alert Friday to prevent Italy’s ambassador from taking flight, in a dramatic escalation of a dispute over two Italian marines who skipped bail while on trial for murder. Continue reading
US drones violate Pakistan’s sovereignty and are illegal : UN
JNN 17 Mar 2013 UN Washington : The United States has violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and shattered tribal structures with unmanned drone strikes in its counterterrorism operations near the Afghan border, a UN human rights investigator said in a statement on Friday.
UN special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, Ben Emmerson, visited Pakistan for three days this week as part of his investigation into the civilian impact of the use of drones and other forms of targeted killings.
“As a matter of international law, the U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan is … being conducted without the consent of the elected representatives of the people, or the legitimate Government of the State,” Emmerson said in a statement issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
“It involves the use of force on the territory of another state without its consent and is therefore a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” he said.
Emmerson said in January he would investigate 25 drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories. He is expected to present his final report to the UN General Assembly in October.
Washington had little to say about Emmerson’s statement.
“We’ve seen his press release. I’m obviously not going to speak about classified information here,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “We have a strong ongoing counterterrorism dialogue with Pakistan and that will continue.”
Spokesman Josh Earnest said the White House would withhold judgment until it sees Emmerson’s full report.
“We have a solid working relationship with them (Pakistan) on a range of issues, including a close cooperative security relationship, and we’re in touch with them on a regular basis on those issues.”
‘End military interference’
Emmerson said the Pashtun tribes of northwestern Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, Pakistan’s largely lawless region bordering Afghanistan, have been decimated by the counterterrorism operations.
“These proud and independent people have been self-governing for generations, and have a rich tribal history that has been too little understood in the West,” he said. “Their tribal structures have been broken down by the military campaign in FATA and by the use of drones in particular.”
The tribal areas have never been fully integrated into Pakistan’s administrative, economic or judicial system. They are dominated by ethnic Pashtun tribes.
Most, but not all, attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles have been by the United States. Britain and Israel have also used them, and dozens of other countries are believed to possess the technology.
“It is time for the international community to heed the concerns of Pakistan, and give the next democratically elected government of Pakistan the space, support and assistance it needs to deliver a lasting peace on its own territory without forcible military interference by other states,” Emmerson said.
The UN Human Rights Council asked Emmerson to start an investigation of the drone attacks following requests by countries including Pakistan, Russia and China.
Criticism of drone strikes centers on the number of civilians killed and the fact that they are launched across sovereign states’ borders so frequently, far more than conventional attacks by piloted aircraft.
Retired U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, who devised the U.S.counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, warned in January against overusing drones, which have provoked angry demonstrations in Pakistan.
Civilian casualties from drone strikes have angered local populations and created tension between the United States and Pakistan and Afghanistan. Washington has sought to portray civilian casualties as minimal, but groups collecting data on these attacks say they have killed hundreds of civilians.
Ben Emmerson, the UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, said the Pakistani government made clear to him that it does not consent to the strikes.
U.S. President Barack Obama has stepped up covert CIA drone strikes targeting al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in Pakistan’s tribal region along the Afghan border since he took office in 2009.
The strikes have caused growing controversy because of the secrecy surrounding them and claims that they have caused significant civilian casualties.
According to a UN statement that Emmerson emailed to The Associated Press on Friday, the Pakistani government told him it has confirmed at least 400 civilian deaths by U.S. drones on its territory. The statement was initially released on Thursday, following the investigator’s three-day visit to Pakistan, which ended on Wednesday. The visit was kept secret until Emmerson left.
Imtiaz Gul, an expert on Pakistani militancy who is helping Emmerson’s team, said Friday that the organization he runs, the Center for Research and Security Studies, gave the UN investigator during his visit case studies on 25 strikes that allegedly killed around 200 civilians.
The UN investigation into civilian casualties from drone strikes and other targeted killings in Pakistan and several other countries was launched in January and is expected to deliver its conclusions in October.
The U.S. rarely discusses the strikes in public because of their covert nature. But a few senior officials, including CIA chief John Brennan, have publicly defended the strikes, saying precision weapons help avoid significant civilian casualties.
Pakistani officials regularly criticize the attacks in public as a violation of the country’s sovereignty, a popular position in a country where anti-American sentiment runs high.
But the reality has been more complicated in the past.
For many years, Pakistan allowed U.S. drones to take off from bases within the country. Documents released by WikiLeaks in 2010 showed that senior Pakistani officials consented to the strikes in private to U.S. diplomats, while at the same time condemning them in public.
Cooperation has certainly waned since then as the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. has deteriorated. In 2011, Pakistan kicked the U.S. out of an air base used by American drones in the country’s southwest, in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
But U.S. officials have insisted that cooperation has not ended altogether and key Pakistani military officers and civilian politicians continue to consent to the strikes. The officials have spoken on condition of anonymity because of the covert nature of the drone program.
However, Emmerson, the UN investigator, came away with a black and white view after his meetings with Pakistani officials.
“The position of the government of Pakistan is quite clear,” said Emmerson. “It does not consent to the use of drones by the United States on its territory and it considers this to be a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The drone campaign “involves the use of force on the territory of another state without its consent and is therefore a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty,” he said.
Pakistan claimed the drone strikes were radicalizing a new generation of militants and said it was capable of fighting the war against Islamist extremism in the country by itself, said Emmerson.
A major reason why the U.S. has stepped up drone attacks in Pakistan is because it has failed to convince the government to target Taliban militants using its territory to launch cross-border attacks against American troops in Afghanistan.
Emmerson met with a variety of Pakistani officials during his visit, as well as tribal leaders from the North Waziristan tribal area — the main target for U.S. drones in the country — and locals who claimed they were injured by the attacks or had lost loved ones.
The tribal leaders said innocent tribesmen were often mistakenly targeted by drones because they were indistinguishable from Taliban militants, said Emmerson. Both groups wear the same traditional tribal clothing and normally carry a gun at all times, he said.
“It is time for the international community to heed the concerns of Pakistan, and give the next democratically elected government of Pakistan the space, support and assistance it needs to deliver a lasting peace on its own territory without forcible military interference by other states,” said Emmerson.
The Zionist Celebrated their Purim Festival, by Succesfully conducting 9/11 terror attacks On US Soil
JNN 02 Mar 2013 New York : For more than eleven years, Israel has been wildly celebrating the success of its 9/11 operation against the United States of America. The latest example: Israeli children recently dressed up as the burning Twin Towers, complete with impaled exploding airplanes, to celebrate the bizarre Jewish holiday known as Purim. Continue reading
Shia Target Killing Graph slows down as 5 Shia Men Martyred by SSP & TTP in Last 10 Days
JNN 16 Mar 2013 Karachi : The Shia Target Killing still continues especially in Karachi as On 14th Mar A Handicapped Shia Young Man Arshad Ali s/o Shahid Ali , 35 was targeted & Martyred in Landhi , Near Babur Market Area by the terrorist of Sipah e Sahaba Pakistan in the limits of Landhi , Karachi. Continue reading
KESC in Partnership with the So Called Free Media Terrorizing Innocent People to Multiply their Profit
JNN 14 Mar 2013 Karachi : The KESC Subscribers who pay 100% Bill and abide by the rules , are further been Penalized & terrorized by Disconnections , on the Next Day of the Due Date of their Monthly bill if by any chance they Miss or fail to pay their Bills , while The Most Criminal Areas are Lit all day and night , with out disconnection and Payment. Continue reading
Former Member of Anti-Islamic Greet Wilder’s Dutch party Arnoud van Doorn accepts Islam
JNN 14 Mar 2013 Amsterdam : Fromer Geert Wilders’s Confidante and Former Dutch Islamophobe ‘Arnoud Van Doorn’ Converts to Islam . A former leading member in far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party has reverted to Islam after an extensive study about the Islamic religion and Muslims. Continue reading
Irani President and Nation Offers their Condolences and Condemns the Shia Target Killing Masacare in Pakistan
JNN 14 Mar 2013 Tehran : The Iranian president expressed his condolences for the Shia killings, and called on the Pakistani authorities to find those responsible for the attacks. Iranian lawmakers have condemned the ongoing killings of Shia Muslims in Pakistan, holding the enemies of Islam responsible for the violence against Pakistani Shias. Continue reading
Roman Catholic elects Argentina’s Bergoglio as new Pope Francis I
JNN 14 Mar 2013 Vatican City : Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, and said he would take the name Francis I. Continue reading
Taliban supporting US in Prolonging their stay in Afghanistan : Karzai
JNN 21 Mar 2013 Kabul : Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday accused the Taliban and the United States of working in concert to convince Afghans that violence will worsen if most foreign troops leave, AP reported. Continue reading
Israeli University conducts a Conference on Shia – Sunni Division in the Muslim World
JNN 12 Mar 2013 Jerusalem : An Israeli university has held conference on Sunni-Shia division in the Muslim world. Continue reading
Dutch Catholic Church tenders apology for Thousands of Girls & Boys sexually abused by the Priest and Nuns
JNN 12 Mar 2013 Amesterdam : A commission investigating abuse of children linked to Dutch Roman Catholic institutions says girls were sexually abused by members of the clergy in their homes and in church, while they suffered physical abuse and intimidation at the hands of nuns at homes for young women. Continue reading
US, Saudi , Jordanian , French , Terrorist trained in Jordan for Insurgency in Syria
JNN 12 Mar 2013 Damascus : Foreign instructors are training Syrian rebels in modern warfare in Jordan, suggest media reports from Europe. Sources claim the trainees will be the security force if Assad goes, while the combat skills they are being taught distort the picture. Continue reading
IP Gas Pipe Line and Gwadar Port , The Key to Bright Future of Pakistan
JNN 10 Mar 2013 Karachi : The Gwadar Port which was built in collaboration with Chinese Government , and was the Neccessity for China and Whole of the Region , and Basically for the Central Asian Republics as that is the Only viable and feasible route for the export of the Caspian Sea Oil Reserves to the Rest of the World , and it is these reserve that to tap these reserve the US and the Allied forces have invaded Afghanistan and have staged the Drama of 9/11 , at the Cost of Killing about 4000 American Citizens . Continue reading
North Korea Threatens of Preemptive Nuclear Strike against US, All agreements of Non Aggression Cancelled with South ,“ Ready for all Out War ”
JNN 8 Mar 2013 Pyongyang : North Korea has vowed to launch a ‘preemptive’ nuclear strike against the US to defend itself in the event that Washington ignites a nuclear war.it has also Cancelled all agreements on non-aggression reached between the North and the South. And Pyongyang says they are ready for an “all-out war” Continue reading
CIA Assasinating Head of States with Cancer Virus , Chavez the latest Victim
JNN 8 Mar 2013 Caracas : The Venezuelan president himself, before he died yesterday, wondered aloud whether the US government – or the banksters who own it – gave him, and its other leading Latin American enemies, cancer. Continue reading
Iran’s Export of Oil and Cars increasing , Despite Unilateral Economic Sanctions by US & EU
JNN 07 Mar 2013 Tehran : Iran exported about 50,000cars and 56,000tons of gasoline , which is valued at about US$ 300Million in the first eleven months of the Iranian Calendar ,which shows the increase in its exports of both the items , despite the Unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union. Continue reading
The Sorry State of Shia Leadership
JNN 6 March 2013 Karachi : The Shia Nation has been 3rd time badly hit by the terrorist Network since 12th Jan, 2013’s Twin Bombing on the Alamdar Road in Quetta, in a short span of time, i.e about 50 Days time 255 Shia Men , Women and Children are being alone Martyred in these 3 incidents of Bomb Blast of Karachi and Quetta, rest of about 50 Shia Men who lost their lives in the continued Target Killing across Pakistan in the same period , make the figure even higher , as the Patient Shia Nation has borne this Killing and atrocities for about last 30 – 35 years in Pakistan , and have since then waited for a reliable and credible Shia Leadership , since the Loss of Allama Arif al Hussain Al Hussaini , who really worked Day in and Day out for the Shia Nation and created a Sense of security in the Common Shia Public , as they were confident that they are not speechless in this time of Misery and Disaster , as there is some body to speak for their rights and the atrocities being done against them .
But the Establishment of Pakistan who at that time was busy minting money coming from US , Saudia and UAE , was not interested that any body should disturb them , while they are busy counting their Foreign Exchange reserves , and they were least Bothered if it costed them Shia Body bags or even at the cost of the Whole of the Shia Nation .
As this was the time when the Disgruntled Shia Nation was Looking for a Reliable and Credible Leadership , that Can take the charge , and can take a Stand Like Mufti Jaffer Hussain or can be brave and and Unite the Shia Nation like Allama Arif Hussain , But Alas!
So Many Climbed and Claimed the Benefits of the Status , But Non Delivered as per the Inspiration and the Necessities and complexities of the Situation, and the time Passed away .
Finally a Group of Revolutionary Minded Clerics , took a step forward and launched a Shia Political cum Religious Party , under the Banner of Majlis e Wahdat e Muslimeen, which took its time in organizing , the Party on National Level , and the Best Part of the Party was that they talk of Unity of the Shiite Nation , and discarded Nation being divided in parts and groups .
As we all saw that the Alamdar Road Blast was the Turning Point , in the Shiite History also that regardless of Differences among different Parties and groups , Whole of the Community rose above their Personal and Party Differences and took a firm stand on the Issue , and whole of the Pakistani , rather the International Community , saw that whole of the Pakistani Shia Nation was committed and United for the Cause , and that sent tremors waves in the Political , Administrative and Establishment of Pakistan.
And the result was that the Government has to Bow and surrender to the Legitimate Demands of the Community , and the Governor Rule was imposed in the Balochistan Province.
The Misery was not yet over , as the 2nd Kirani Road, Hazara Town Blast , Once again Shook the Shia Nation , and the Act of Unity and Show of Shia Strength was Once again Shown and Proven , And this was the time when the Political Parties , which were now really disturbed by the Unity and the Massive Show of Strength took their Stand and Started to Play a game of Politics and the Lead Players were the So called Owners of Karachi , as this is the first time in History that any group or Party has shown such a Massive Show of Strength and Unity in Karachi, that the City was almost Paralyzed by the Protest Sit Ins on about 32 different Places ,so their strategy was first by Painting the Picture as ethnic , instead of Sectarian , Just to create division in the United Shia Stand ,and secondly gain the Benefit of sympathies of a whole constituency , where they can achieve their Provincial and National Assembly Seats , and that also in the troubled Province of Balochistan, and if they win to do that then can be also be spokes person for the Shia community Partly if not wholly.
Any way as the Shia Community have seen so many conspiracies, from Within and Outside that they completely rejected which was a great set back for them , and then they got ready for their Plan B, and sent their good wishes to the enemies of the Shia Community , and Paid Visits in the name of reconciliation and Harmony among different sects.
But This reconciliation and Harmony gave a Present in shape of a Huge Bomb Blast in a Shia Neighborhood of Karachi , which resulted in the casualty of about 55 Men , Women, and Children , Total destruction of about 200 Homes , and 100 Shops , and among the victims of all this disaster , the Majority which bore this Burn was now again the Shia Community.
As Shia nation is not afraid of the Martyrdom and Destruction , as they have been going on through this for the Last 14 Centuries , and as per their Believe they ‘ll will have to face this till the Dooms Day , except in the Reign of the Present Imam Mehdi AJTF, who will rule the Whole World with such a Justice that No One has to bear any Injustice , regardless of its color , cast , creed or Religion.
But the Question and the fight of the Shia Nation is that the Cost of any Death and Destruction to the Community should be such Huge , that even the Blood thirsty enemy should think twice , before committing such a Henious crime , and to fix the Price of Death and Destruction to the Community , is the work and thought of the Leadership is to decide as How the Enemy should be Nailed that it has to pay the Price .
As in the case of the Bomb Blast in Abbas Town , Karachi , the Biggest City of Pakistan , The whole of the Shia Nation was eyeing and was Pin Drop Silent to hear the Strategy of their Leadership , as What has to be done to Stop this Menace in the First Place , and How the Enemy should be encountered , and secondly , as whole of the Shia Nation was ready to March along side their Leader ship , but they looked like speech less.
As per the sources the Political Leadership of Karachi was very Much annoyed and disturbed by the earlier two Protest Sit Ins in Karachi and across Pakistan , each of which lasted for several days , paralyzing the whole city and the Nation for Several Days .
So On the Direct Orders of the Governor of Sindh the Shia Leadership was asked not to give any call for such Protest , while they were given fake assurances , we don’t know whether the Leadership followed on the given Instructions willingly or Under Pressure, but as the Shia Community has suffered a Huge Loss ,not only by losing their loved Ones , but also losing their Shelter and Businesses , but till now the Leadership which they have entrusted and backed , has uptill now , not come up with any thing concrete steps, that may heal up the wounds of the Shia Nation and specially the victims of the Bomb Blast , who are now homeless Orphans.
In a Situation like this the Leader ship should take the nation in confidence , by sharing their future and Present strategy , instead of Hiding behind the curtains , as it raises the eye Brows of Many , who are ready to infiltirate the system and to derail the Unity Band wagon , which has been achieved by the Nation after a very Long time , and after Paying a Huge Cost.
It is a very crucial time for All the Active Players of the Leadership , whether it may be Shia Ulema Council (SUC) , Majlis e Wahdat e Muslimeen (MWM) , Shia Action Comitte (SAC) , Jafaria Alliance Pakistan (JAP) , Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) or other regional & City level Groups should sit together and Urgently formulate a United Policy, which can be Implemented across Pakistan Unilaterally for the safety and well being of whole of the Shia Community to fight against the Evil forces .
As with the every Passing Moment , the Political Parties which have been threatened by the Shia Unity and Strength are trying to Infiltrate and create disintegration among the shia Nation, so the formula is Sooner the Better. Rather than for Waiting for Next Disaster to come up and shaken the confidence of the Nation in the Leadership.
Related articles
- Within 24 Hrs Shia Target Killing claimed 6 Lives in Karachi by the Terrorist of SSP
- Twin Blasts took lives of 45 Shia and Sunni Muslims ,135 injured in Abbas Town Karachi by LeJ Terrorist
- 2nd Shia Navy Officer Attacked by the Terrorist of SSP within 20 Days in Karachi
- 2nd Shia Navy Officer Attacked & Martyred by the Terrorist of SSP in Karachi
- Shia Unity Show of strength across Pakistan , Quetta Sit In now enters 48th Hour, Protest Sit In’s across Pakistan
- Protest Sit Ins across Pakistan Continues amid assurances to the Protesters of successful Negotiations with Govt
- 2 More Shia Men Martyred by the firing of TTP terrorist as the Funeral Procession of the Abbas Town Martyrs attacked
Revolutionary Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez dies
JNN 6 Mar 2013 CARACAS : Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has passed away at the age of 58 following a two-years-long fight against cancer and a severe respiratory infection. His untimely demise raises serious questions about the future of the oil-rich regional power. Continue reading
2 More Shia Men Martyred by the firing of TTP terrorist as the Funeral Procession of the Abbas Town Martyrs attacked
JNN 05 Mar 2013 KARACHI: The Terrorist Took two more lives of the Participants of the Funeral Procession of the Abbas Town Martyrs , As they were attacked by the Members of Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan on the way back from the Grave Yard after the Burial of the Martyrs of the Abbas Town Blasts. The funeral procession came under heavy fire at Al-Asif Square near Sohrab Goth, JNN reported. Continue reading
2nd Shia Navy Officer Attacked & Martyred by the Terrorist of SSP in Karachi
JNN 4 Mar 2013 KARACHI: In the Broad Day Light in the Early Hours of the day , in Busiest Harbour area ,A Pakistani Shia Navy Officer Lieutenant Commander Syed Azeem Haider Kazmi was attacked by the terrorist of Sipah e Sahaba Pakistan and being treated at the PNS Shifa Hospital Karachi. It is a second such attack, targeting 2nd Shia Navy official in short span of a month . The Brave Warrior fought for life for about 4 days in the PNS Shifa Hospital in a Critical State , but finally could not sccummb to his injuries and embraced Martyrdom on 3rd March . Continue reading
Twin Blasts took lives of 45 Shia and Sunni Muslims ,135 injured in Abbas Town Karachi by LeJ Terrorist
JNN 4 Mar 2013 KARACHI: At least 45 people, many women and children among them, were killed and over 135 injured in a massive bombing in the city’s Shia-dominated neighbourhood of Abbas Town on Sunday evening, By the terrorist of Lashkar e Jhangvi . Continue reading
Within 24 Hrs Shia Target Killing claimed 6 Lives in Karachi by the Terrorist of SSP
JNN 2 Mar 2013 KARACHI,: The Target Killing of Shia Men have taken a sharp rise as 6 Shia men have been Martyred in different terrorist activities within 24 Hours including three activists of the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen and three other Shia Men were martyred By the terrorist of Sipah e Sahaba Pakistan , all of the 6 were Martyred in Karachi only. Continue reading
Atleast 300 Arabian Shia Men & Women Protesters arrested By Saudi Forces
JNN 3 Mar 2013 Riyadh : Saudi security forces have arrested over 300 Men & Women in the central province of Qassim after hundreds of Saudis staged a protest sit-in to demand the release of political prisoners. Continue reading
US Recession & High Cost of Professional Education Pushes the Student Loan Debt about US$1Trillion
JNN 02 Mar 2013 New York : The New York Federal Reserve says the total student loan debt in the United States has almost tripled over the past eight years, approaching one trillion dollars. Continue reading
Former President Pervez Musharaf All Set to Return to Pakistan Before Elections
JNN 02 Mar 2013 DUBAI – Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf said on Friday he would return home this month after almost three years in Dubai and take part in a forthcoming parliamentary election.
Parliament is due to be dissolved by March 16, after which an interim administration will take over to oversee the run-up to the election to be held within 90 days.
Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup and briefly imposed a state of emergency in Pakistan before resigning in 2008.
“I have decided to return to Pakistan within a week of the formation of the interim government,” he told reporters in Dubai, saying he believed this would take place on March 16.
Asked if he planned to run for president, Musharraf said: “The presidency will come at a later stage. Now I’m going back for the parliamentary elections and hope my party does well.”
Some media reports have said Musharraf, who faces the threat of arrest in Pakistan on charges that he failed to provide adequate security to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto before her assassination in 2007, will seek Saudi help in obtaining guarantees that he will not be detained. As he owes some favours from the Saudi Monarchy on whose Persistence he acquitted the then Prime Minister Nawaf Shariff of Capital Punishment , awarded to him by the Highest Court of the Country On account of treason. And Rather let him go to Saudi Arabia for an Exile of 10 years .
“I don’t see any reason why I should be arrested,” Musharraf said. “We will see what will happen when I land in the airport and take action according to that.”
All set to Ban Jamaat e Islami for its War time attrocities in BD
JNN 02 Mar 2013 DHAKA: The debate on banning Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh has become talk of the town. As the Party has been the center Point of the War Crimes , been committed in now Bangladesh then East Pakistan , where atleast thousands of Women were raped and thousands of Men were killed by the Jamat e Islami Men, working with the establishment .
Lately, it has gathered more steam after a string of incidents of violence and vandalism tied to the party, in connection with the International Crimes Tribunal’s (ICT) verdict on Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah. According to the ICT, Mollah is guilty of crimes against humanity, committed during the tumultuous days leading up to Fall of Dacca in 1971.
The Ministry of Law plans to appeal the ICT verdict as it considers the life-sentence given to Quader Mollah is a punishment too lenient for the war criminal. Legally powered by the amendment to the International Crimes Tribunal Act 1973 in parliament last week, the state will now back capital punishment.
Presently, many have reached the conclusion that banning Jamaat is the sole purpose of the amendment and of the demonstrations that have been raging in the capital’s Shahbagh for three weeks now. And yet, the Shahbagh protesters deny any ties to the government.
People have been gathering at Shahbagh since February 5, initially to demand death penalty for Mollah. Fuelled by the overwhelming support of the masses – especially the youth – demonstrators are now also demanding a ban on Jamaat.
It seems that it is this very persistence, that of the thousands that gather together, that has given the ruling Awami League the courage to initiate the idea of trying Jamaat, the country’s largest Islamic party, in the first place.
“We now want death penalty for all war criminals. We want a ban on the politics of religious fundamentalists. We want a ban on Jamaat,” says Imran H Sarker, the main organiser of the Bloggers and Online Activists Network, the group that initiated the Shahbagh protest.
Bangabir Kader Siddiqui, veteran freedom fighter says that if Jamaat wants to do politics in the country, it has to take the decision right now – does it want the Razakars (collaborators of Pakistani forces during 1971 war) to be tried or not?
“They have no right to live and do politics in a country of whose liberation they fought against,” he says.
Earlier, the ICT awarded death penalty to Abul Kalam Azad, a former member of Jamaat and war criminal. Eight top leaders of the party are under trial at the purpose-built tribunal.
Views from the top
“ WE WANT A BAN ON THE POLITICS OF RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISTS. WE WANT A BAN ON JAMAAT E ISLAMI ” Online Activist Imran H Sarker
In response to the uprisings, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said Jamaat has no right to do politics in Bangladesh. In a recent programme, she stated that Jamaat will be banned because it believes in terrorism and militancy, not because it is religiously inclined.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed has also confirmed that the government is considering banning Jamaat e Islami . According to the election commissioner, Jamaat’s registration as a political party can be cancelled easily, once the court approves the ban.
Not surprisingly, Jamaat e Islami leaders have strongly condemned the allegations against them. They have termed the attempts at banning “irresponsible, unfair, unmerited and unconstitutional.”
Moulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, the general secretary of Jamaat, says the protests are part of a plot to create anarchy and force the tribunals to give subjective verdicts.
“We want to state clearly that the people of the country won’t let the government implement its chalked-out plot of political revenge,” he says.
Historical perspective
The party originated from the Jamaat-e-Islami wing in the then East-Pakistan. It opposed the division of Pakistan and the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. Its activists, in large numbers, allegedly joined irregular military units and fought alongside the Pakistani army. Consequently, its members are believed to be responsible for some of the most horrendous atrocities committed during the nine-month war which killed 3 million people.
After the 1971 war, the first government enacted the International Crimes Tribunals Act in 1973, to try those responsible for the crimes against humanity. Jamaat e Islami was banned from politics and most of its leaders fled abroad to escape trial. However, the assassination of the ‘Father of the Nation’, the country’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in 1975, shelved the trial of those accused and allowed many of them to return home to a normal life.
Furthermore, Jamaat was even allowed to register as a political party in 1978. The party secured 10 parliamentary seats in 1986 national polls and continued to secure seats in the next three elections as well.
Coming to power in December 2008, Mujib’s daughter Sheikh Hasina, as per her election pledge, constituted two war crimes tribunals under the 1973 act – one began operating in 2010 and the other two years later.
“At last, the nation feels some justice is being done. Nobody here wants these war criminals to get away easily,” says Shahriar Kabir, whose organisation, Committee for the Elimination of the Killers and Collaborators of 1971, has pushed for the war crimes trial since the mid-90s.
An amendment to the 1973 ICT Act was recently passed in Parliament, where the ruling Awami League-led coalition enjoys a huge majority. “The government will make a decision on banning the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami after the High Court delivers the verdict on a writ petition,” Law Minister Ahmed says.
The petition has sought a rule to cancel the registration of Jamaat. Ahmed feels that a party which resorts to violence has no right to do politics in the country. “We are scrutinizing the legal grounds to ban Jamaat e Islami politics,” he adds.
Political manoeuvering?
Ruling party leaders, like Suranjit Sengupta, a member of the Awami League Advisory Council, are too impatient for the court to decide over the matter. “It’s not the court that will determine whether the war criminals have any rights to do politics. They are indeed the political leaders who have to make the decision,” Suranjit tells Our Correspondent.
Instead of depending on the court, a decision has to be made politically to ban Jamaat, he insists.
Moreover, the opposition has denounced the parliamentary amendment of the ICT act, describing it as politically motivated.
Jamaat leader Islam Khan says the government is clearly out to destroy his party. The party has accused Awami League of backing the Shahbagh protests for possible electoral gains. Whipping up nationalistic sentiments and banning Jamaat – an important ally of the main opposition BNP – would seriously dent the opposition rank and hand Awami League the advantage to win the next year’s general election, the Jamaat leader claims.
By and large, analysts believe that the decision to ban Jamaat is simply a matter of time now. And yet, no one is quite sure about the implications of banning a party that had secured its presence in the Parliament for four consecutive times, with the third highest number of votes in bank.
What will happen has yet to be seen. The saga, one that could define Bangladesh’s history, unfolds before our eyes.
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