Effort To Try War Criminals
As the ruler of Bangladesh, President Ziaur Rahman (1975–1981) enacted several controversial measures, ostensibly to win the support of Islamic political parties and opponents of the Awami League. In 1978, he revoked the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami, which was widely believed to have collaborated with the Pakistani army and members of which are alleged to have committed war crimes against civilians.
Ghulam Azam, the exiled chief of the Jammat-e-Islami, was allowed to come back to Bangladesh in July 1978. In 1991 December Ghulam Azam, was elected the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islam. Subsequently, Jahanara Imam organized the Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee (Committee to exterminate the Killers and Collaborators), and became its public face. The committee called for the trial of people who committed crimes against humanity in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistani forces. The Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee set up mock trials in Dhaka in March 1992 known as Gonoadalot (Court of the people) and 'sentenced' persons they accused of being war criminals. Imam and others were charged with treason. This charge was, however, dropped in 1996 after her death by the Chief Advisor Mohammed Habibur Rahman of the Caretaker government of that time.
The activities of the "Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee" led by Jahanara Imam were deemed unlawful by the Government of Bangladesh.
Read more about this topic: Jahanara Imam
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