KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Kashmir’s top Islamist figure and All Parties Hurriyat Conference (g) chairperson, Syed Ali Geelani Wednesday observed that the on-going so-called trial and subsequent hanging of Islamists in Bangladesh has practically show how the nation has “become province of India”.
Expressing his deep shock, sorrow and grief over the hanging of Ameer Jama’at-e-Islami Bangladesh Matti-Ur-Rehman Nizami, Geelani appealed Muslims across J&K to hold special prayers for him on May 13 after the mandatory Friday congregational prayers.
“Bangladesh has practically become a province of India and the Awami League president Ms Sheikh Haseena at the behest of India has started a war against the Islamist people of the country,” he alleged.
Nizami, head of the Jama’at-e-Islami, was hanged at Dhaka Central jail just after midnight on Tuesday-Wednesday intervening night. Bangla Supreme Court had rejected his final plea against the death sentence imposed by a “special tribunal for genocide, rape and orchestrating the massacre of top intellectuals during the war”.
Nizami, 73, a former legislator and minister during opposition leader Khaleda Zia’s last term as prime minister, was sentenced to death in 2014.
Jama’at-e-Islami, a pan South Asia Islamist movement, was started by Maulana Abul Ala Maududi (RA) in 1941. After creation of Pakistan, Jama’at was divided and the two parts, in India and Pakistan, work independent of each other since then.
Similarly, when Dhaka fell from Pakistan and Bangladesh was created in 1971, Pakistan Jama’at was again divided now the parts again are independent of each other. Similar is the case with Kashmir Jama’at-e-Islami which works independent of all the parts of Jama’at-e-Islami founded by Maududi.
However, the current Bangladeshi government is running a “war crimes” trial, set up in 2010, against front line leadership of Jama’at-e-Islami and many have been hanged and scores jailed. The Sheikh Haseena government is alleging that these leaders “supported cause of Pakistan in 1971”.
“The leaders of Jama’at-e-Islami Bangladesh are being punished for their affection and love with Islam and Pakistan and it is moral responsibility of the government of Pakistan to raise its voice and concerns against this injustice in every possible way and try to bring this serious issue into the notice of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC),” Hurriyat patriarch said.
Geelani was part of Kashmir Jama’at since 1950s and parted his ways after he formed Tehreek-e-Hurriyat in 2004 with another Islamist figure Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai on his part. The duo had an agreement with Jama’at-e-Islami J&K which could not materialize thereafter.
Hurriyat Conference (g) Chairperson paid glowing tributes to the Ameer Jama’at-e-Islami Bangladesh late Matti-Ur-Rehman Nizami and said, “besides being a great Islamic scholar, Shaheed Matti-Ur-Rehman sahab was also an open minded person and a prominent intellectual who had spent his entire life in the service of Islam and for the establishment of the justice based system of governance. He lived life of a true Muslim and died a hero’s death.”
He expressed his hope that the sacrifice of Shaheed Matti-Ur-Rehman Nizami will prove as a milestone and it will become a beginning for an Islamic revolution in Bangladesh.
“The oppression and the atrocities do not live very long and the day is not too far when the oppressors will bear the brunt of their deeds,” he said.
On the directions of Geelani, the funeral prayers in absentia for Ameer Jama’at-e-Islami Bangladesh Matti-Ur-Rehman Nizami were held at different places in the Valley.
Personal Secretary to Geelani, Peer Saifullah and District President for Srinagar and Ganderbal Raja Mehraj-ud-din led funeral prayers at Hyderpora and Masjid Hamzah Lal Chowk, respectively.
Meanwhile, Lawmakers in Pakistan National Assembly Wednesday while strongly condemning execution of Jama’at- e-Islami leader, Matti ur Rehman in Bangladesh demanded the government, international community and international human rights organisations to take notice of human rights violation in Bangladesh.
Speaking in the house after passing a unanimous resolution to condemn the hanging of Matti Ur Rehman, they said that it was a condemnable act and also violation of tripartite agreement signed by Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in 1974.
They also called on the government to convene a joint meeting of the standing committees of both the houses on foreign affairs to devise a concrete strategy to take up the issue.
Jama’at-e-Islami legislator, Sher Akbar Khan said that the tripartite agreement signed among the three countries in 1974 should be ensured and added that the issue should be raised at an international forum.
