Jamaat refutes war crimes allegations, calls Mahfuj's statement 'false, politically motivated'

Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned and protested the recent statement by Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuj Alam, in which he claimed that the party had collaborated in war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War.

In a statement issued today (13 March), Jamaat Secretary General and former lawmaker Mia Golam Parwar called Mahfuj's remarks "completely false, baseless, and politically motivated."

Parwar also referred to historical records, stating that the war crimes investigation commission formed under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's government found no evidence against Jamaat leaders of colluding with war criminals.

"Mahfuj Alam should know that the investigation commission formed during Sheikh Mujib's tenure to investigate war crimes found no evidence of any involvement of anyone from Jamaat in war crimes.

"That is why Sheikh Mujib himself had declared a general amnesty and released the arrested people and resolved the problem by sending the surrendered Pakistani soldiers back to Pakistan. Former ameer of Jamaat, Professor Ghulam Azam, filed a case in the Supreme Court and was found innocent and regained his citizenship," he said.

The Jamaat secretary general further said, "Sheikh Hasina set up a 'kangaroo court', filing false cases against Jamaat leaders and using party affiliates as false witnesses in the trial. This trial was not accepted either in the country or abroad. It was conducted by intimidating judges through Shahbagh Gana Jagaran Mancha, which was nothing but a mockery of justice.

"This is evidenced by the Skype scandal, statements from former judge Surendra Kumar Sinha, and testimony from witness Sukharanjan Bali in the case of Maulana Sayeedi. Even the British Supreme Court did not accept this trial under Hasina's government."

He said this clearly proves that the allegations of Jamaat leaders' involvement in war crimes in 1971 are completely false and politically motivated. "Mahfuj Alam's remarks are baseless, misleading, and speculative. The nation believes that his statements may stem from a political agenda or external influence."

"As a non-political government official, Mahfuj has no ethical or legal right to target a political party with false accusations," said Parwar.

"If he wants to make political statements, he should enter the political arena. His remarks have cast doubt on the non-political nature of the interim government itself," he added.

The Jamaat leader also said, "Mahfuj has made the statement without proper knowledge or understanding. We hope that after our clarification, his misconceptions will be cleared, and he will apologise for his false and unfounded remarks.

"Furthermore, we expect that he will refrain from making such statements about Jamaat-e-Islami in the future."