A tricky last wish that could not be fulfilled

ISLAMABAD: Maulana Ghulam Azam, the controversial ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, who was convicted to 90 years in prison for committing crimes against humanity in 1971 war, continued to generate controversy even after his October 23 death, amid the refusal of the Bangladeshi government to fulfill his last wish.
While the Bangladeshi media describes him as “a war criminal”, his supporters portray him as a hero who had only defended his country in the 1971 war along with “other patriotic groups”. The last wish of Ghulam Azam, who is referred to as the founder of the wicked Al-Badr and Al-Shams groups was that his funeral prayers be led by the incumbent Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh ameer, Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami. And if not possible, then another Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee is asked to do so. But the problem for Bangladesh government was that both the key Jamaat leaders were behind bars for war crimes. While Sayedee has already been sentenced to life imprisonment for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 war, Nizami’s war crimes case is still pending at a war crimes tribunal for verdict.
Commenting on Ghulam Azam’s last wish, the Bangladeshi Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told journalists: “It is hard to believe what Azam’s men are saying about the last wish of a convicted war criminal. The claim centering the last wish is questionable. It seems that the Jamaat is using his death to do politics. He asked if the fulfillment of last wish was practical since Nizami and Sayedee both were in jail. “Is there any moral ground of giving importance to the last wish of such a heinous war criminal? It will be a disgrace of the departed souls of the 30 lakh martyrs of the Bangladesh’s War of Independence.” Similarly, Shahriar Kabir, a leading war trial campaigner, termed the Maulana Azam’s wish “his last politics against the country.”
There was no shortage of confusion and controversy centering his death

for hours until he was eventually declared dead. While his family apparently wanted him declared dead as soon as possible, the doctors kept him alive on life support for a few more hours. Even before he was pronounced dead by Sheikh Mujib Medical University, his family members had declared him dead, adding that they wanted a mortuary to preserve the body since five of his sons are abroad - four in the UK and another in Saudi Arabia. Azam’s sixth son Brig Gen (R) Abdullahil Aman Azmi wanted that his father’s janaza and burial to take place after the return of his five brothers from abroad.
However, neither the convicted Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh ameer was allowed to lead Ghulam Azam’s funeral nor his sons (Abdullahil Mamun Al-Azmi, Abdullahil Amin Azmi, Abdullahil Momen Azmi, Abdullahil Noman Al-Azmi and Abdullahil Salman Al-Azmi) returned home to attend his funeral which finally took place on October 25 - two days after his death. His funeral prayers were offered at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on Saturday where his son, Brig Gen (retd) Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, led the funeral prayers. Addressing the gathering before the funeral prayers, his son said: “To the best of my knowledge, Ghulam Azam didn’t do anything to hurt anyone. Nevertheless, if anyone got hurt with his remarks, behaviour and activities, you please forgive my father. I humbly seek apology to the country’s people”.
Bangladesh’s top English newspaper, Daily The Star, wrote on October 24: “He was the pivot around whom revolved the war crimes in 1971. He led the auxiliary forces in committing one of the worst genocide in recent history. He never repented for his despicable role and rather continued his campaign against Bangladesh even after independence. The man, symbol of war crimes, is dead. He is Ghulam Azam”.
Ghulam Azam died about ten months after being sentenced to 90 years in prison for masterminding crimes against humanity and genocide in the 1971 war. The International Crimes Tribunal had sentenced him on July 15, 2013 after finding him guilty on all five charges the prosecution stacked against him. Azam, who was 49 years old in 1971, was complicit with perpetrators in planning, conspiracy and incitement which resulted in massive atrocities in 1971. “We are convinced in holding that accused Azam was the pivot of crimes and the atrocities revolved around him during the War of Liberation,” the three judges of the International Crimes Tribunal said in the verdict, adding that Azam deserved the gallows but he was given prison terms due to his old age.
He was the ameer of East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami at the time of the 1971 war. He had joined the Jamaat in 1954 and served as its secretary from 1957 to 1960. He became ameer of the East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami in 1969. Ten days after the war started in 1971, Maulana Ghulam Azam met General Tikka Khan to extend his support to him. Under his command, the Bangladesh chapter of the Jamaat and its student wing called Islami Chhatra Sangha played a key role in forming Al-Badr and Al-Shams groups which are accused of committing grave atrocities in the former East Pakistan.
After his meeting with Pakistan’s then president General Yahya Khan on June 19, 1971, Ghulam Azam addressed a press conference in Lahore and told journalists: “The miscreants are still active in East Pakistan. People must be provided with arms to destroy them.” While the 1971 war was still on, Ghulam Azam contested a by-election from Tangail and became a member of Pakistan National Assembly. On November 23, Yahya Khan declared a state of national emergency. Ghulam Azam welcomed it and said at a press conference in Lahore: “The best way to defend ourselves is striking at our enemies.” He said that each patriotic citizen, each member of Al-Badr and Al-Shams must be armed with modern automatic weapons.
Before the fall of Dhaka, Ghulam Azam fled to Pakistan on November 22, 1971 and then travelled to London to set up the offices of East Pakistan Reclamation Committee. His citizenship was revoked by the Bangladesh government on April 18, 1973. After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a Pakistani passport on August 11, 1978. He subsequently got back his Bangladeshi citizenship through a court order in 1994 and took up his old position as the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami and served in the post until Motiur Rahman Nizami took over from him in 2000. He stayed out of focus after 2000 but was back in the spotlight when the war crimes trial process started against him at the end of 2011. He landed in jail on January 11, 2012 in the war crimes case, only to be charged with committing crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes on July 15, 2013.
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh was subsequently banned and barred from taking part in elections on August 1, 2013 when judges declared that the Jamaat charter has breached the secular constitution. However, despite being sentenced to 90 years in prison for his alleged involvement in mass murder of the Bengalis in the 1971 war, Ghulam Azam neither confessed to his role nor apologised. Therefore, he had to face the ire of the Bengali nation even after his death as hundreds of angry protesters tried to disrupt his funeral procession on October 25, 2014 when his body was being taken to the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque for funeral prayers. On the other hand, however, the Pakistan chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami defends Maulana Ghulam Azam, saying his struggle was aimed keeping the East and the West Pakistan united by foiling the Indian conspiracy against Pakistan.