Jamaat-e-Islami guru Ghulam Azam’s defence appealed before the first war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh to withdraw Tuesday’s order setting a deadline to sum up the case.
Jamaat’s chief defence counsel Abdur Razzaq prayed that the tribunal allow him four days to conclude summing up Azam’s case instead of enforcing to its Apr 4 deadline, effectively limiting arguments to two more days. “I will not ask for more time if there are no further interventions beyond my control.”
The petition said such a limit would seriously ‘prejudice’ the defence case and cause ‘irreparable loss and injury’ to Ghulam Azam’s defence.
Obviously referring to the general strike enforced by the opposition parties, Razzaq ‘forcefully but humbly’ said that he would not make himself available to the court on days when there are disruptions to civic life beyond his control.
The petition said such a limit would seriously ‘prejudice’ the defence case and cause ‘irreparable loss and injury’ to Ghulam Azam’s defence.
Obviously referring to the general strike enforced by the opposition parties, Razzaq ‘forcefully but humbly’ said that he would not make himself available to the court on days when there are disruptions to civic life beyond his control.
He said other courts from the magistrate’s courts to the apex court of the country do not convene proceedings on strike days and also said that tribunal judges would very likely adhere to that tradition when they move back to the High Court or Appellate Division.
The senior lawyer pointed out that the Appellate Division did not take up an item — appeal hearing of the Quader Molla case, an Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat convicted of war crimes by the second tribunal — where he was a party considering his absence.
The three-member International Crimes Tribunal – 1, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, indicted Ghulam Azam for war crimes charges including conspiracy, complicity and incitement.
The tribunal is in the midst of hearing the closing arguments from the defence and had expressed to a junior lawyer on Tuesday that the senior lawyer had not indicated that he would not be able to attend court due ‘personal difficulty’ as the defence application for adjournment had cited.
Also an Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat, Razzaq strongly protested prosecution’s submissions suggesting that he was in some way party to orchestrating the opposition strikes. “I do have a political colour but I appear before the court only as an advocate. I refrain from making any political statements.”
“Those making such submissions should make it with honesty and dignity,” said Razzaq before asking for the leave of the judges to appear before the second tribunal and delegated one of his juniors, incidentally his son, Imran Siddiq to continue with the closing.
The court will rule on the application on Thursday.
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