Jamaat-e-Islami on Trial - News - Free Journalism
If proven guilty, Sayedee could face the death sentence. He has denied all charges against him. Sayedee will now be tried by the International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic tribunal with no United Nations role, which was set up last year to investigate war crimes in 1971. The trial begins on Oct 30. While the role of the Pakistani military has drawn some media criticism, the Jamaat's role in East Pakistan in 1971 has gone largely unnoticed. The attitude of the Jamaat to the problems and issues raised by the East Pakistanis even prior to the military action was hostile at worst and ambiguous at best. Understandably, the Jamaat was never able to prosper in East Pakistan. At the time of Partition, the Jamaat had only one member in East Pakistan. At the time of Bangladesh's inception, it had 300-400 members (and roughly 2,100 in West Pakistan). However, it must be borne in mind that Jamaat's membership was not open to everybody. The Jamaat and the religious parties won ...