Dhaka: The largest Islamist party of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami called for nation-wide shutdown on Wednesday after its chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was given a death sentence for wartime atrocities committed during the country’s 1971 Liberation War.
The website of party had announced shortly after the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Dhaka found Nizami guilty of leading the execution of intellectuals, mass killings, rape and loot during the nine months of bloodshed 43 years ago.
The tribunal found the 71-year-old Jamat leader guilty on eight out of 16 charges levelled against him in a historic trial that began almost four decades after Bangladesh’s war of independence.
The Jamaat-e-Islami called the strike from 6 a.m. on Thursday to 6 a.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Sunday to 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
In a statement, the party rejected the court’s verdict, claiming that the government filed ill-motivated baseless cases against top Jamaat leaders in order to make the party leaderless.
It said, “Charges which have been brought against Nizami are totally false, fabricated and politically motivated.”
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, State Minister for Home said that security measures were heightened across Bangladesh and all necessary action would be taken to contain the situation.
Bureau Report
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