More than four decades ago, East Pakistan broke away from then Pakistan and a new Bangladesh took its place on the map. However, even today, the Dhaka fall is embroiled in mystery and myth.
Research Society of International Law (RSIL) – a think tank that aims to spread awareness of International laws, and the obligations that stem from them – held a workshop on the legal aspects of the Bangladesh War Crimes Trials at Serena Hotel on Wednesday.
Notable international law expert and RSIL President Ahmer Bilal Soofi delivered a detailed speech on the background of the International War Crimes Tribunal back in 1973, and what causes motivated the whole tribunal business to resurface in 2009.
According to Soofi, the politics of discrediting the opposition in general, and Jamaat-e-Islami in particular, the undermining of 1974 tripartite agreement, and the influence of India in the whole episode, played a pivotal part in the proceedings of IWCT.
Basic Constitutional/Fundamental rights were denied, the presence of countless procedural flaws and absence of International input/involvement were enough to discredit the whole enterprise, he added.
The presentation also highlighted the multiple instances where Human Rights violations occurred during the proceedings of the war tribunal.
Present at the event, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Farid Paracha appreciated Soofi’s efforts and hard work. His team and termed the war tribunal as nothing but political revenge. He urged the government to become party to it all and emphasised that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must play its role.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shirin Mazari steered the attention of the audience towards the plight of those Pakistanis who are still stranded in Bangladesh. She condemned the refusal of successive governments to bring them back. Furthermore, she said that the trials had been going on for a while now, and asked why the government has shown such apathy towards the issue. She asked what was stopping the government from taking an initiative and resolving the issue. Mazari said that we should shoulder the brunt of what went wrong in former East Pakistan.
Lt. General (r) Talat Masood was of the opinion that one cannot isolate the political from the legal. They both go hand in hand. And there are instances where the political dimension outweighs the legal one.
Soofi, in his concluding statement, said that there is always a need for course correction if and when things go awry. The rationale behind publishing the position paper by RSIL is to weigh on things from the legal standpoint in a non-biased and neutral way.
The event was attended by lawyers, diplomats, bureaucrats, journalists and member of civil society.