Golam Azam
Encyclopedia
Ghulam Azam (born 7 November 1922), is a Bangladesh
i political leader who is regarded in his country as a war criminal
of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The former Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, he opposed the independence of Bangladesh during and after the 1971 war and led the formation of Shanti Committee
, Razakar
and Al-Badr
to thwart the Indian armed and trained Mukti Bahini
that fought for independence. He also lobbied against the acknowledgment of new-born Bangladesh after 1971 with a opened demand called 'Bangladesh Na Manjoor' (Bangladesh not approved). During this activity Ghulam Azam sent requests to Middle Eastern countries to deny recognition to Bangladesh. This continued until the late 1980s.
He was a permanent resident of England
until 1978, and maintained Pakistani citizenship
until 1994 due to the decision by the Bangladeshi government at the time to refuse him citizenship
. From 1978 to 1994 he lived in Bangladesh illegally without any authorized Bangladeshi visa. In 1994, the Supreme Court
upheld the decision to restore his citizenship of Bangladesh as a matter of birth-right. He was the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh until 2000.
as one of the state languages, on behalf of the students of Dhaka University, following the demand made by Dhirendranath Datta
in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly
in February 1948 and the resulting nationalist uprising in East Bengal. Azam, however, distanced himself from the Language Movement when it became clear that it was becoming a rallying call for a secular Bengali nationalist movement rather than one focused on Bengali Muslim activism alone. Since his return to Bangladesh in the 1970s Ghulam Azam has never participated in the official commemorations of the Language Movement and he and his party celebrate that event separately.
Azam became the secretary of the Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, in 1957. Later, he became the Ameer (president) of the Jamaat in East Pakistan
in 1969. He was also a participant in the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance in 1967.
of 1971, Azam played a central role in the formation of Peace Committees
, which declared the independence movement to be a conspiracy hatched by India. Azam was one of the founding members of this organization. After Operation Searchlight
, Pakistani forces lost control of Bangladesh. To help control this situation the Pakistan Army set up a network of peace committees superimposed upon the normal civil administration as the army could not rely upon the local Bengali administration. The Peace Committee members were drawn from Azam's Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim League and Biharis
. The Peace Committee served as a front for the army, informing on the civil administration as well as the general public. They were also in charge of confiscating and redistribution of shops and lands from Hindu and pro-independence Bengalis, mainly relatives and friends of Mukti Bahini fighters. Almost 10 million Bangladeshis fled to neighboring India
as refugees. The Shanti Committee also recruited Razakars, who were common criminals who had thrown their lots with the army.
On April 12, 1971, Azam and Matiur Rahman Nizami
led demonstrations denouncing the independence movement as an Indian conspiracy.
militia in Jamalpur District
on 22 April 1971. Current Jamaat Ameer (supreme leader) Matiur Rahman Nizami
was the supreme commander of this militia. Nizami was a leader of Islami Chhatra Shongha
then.
Also, in May, 1971, another Jamaat leader Mawlana Yusuf, a subordinate to Azam, created the Razakar militia in Khulna
. The first recruits included 96 Jamaat party members, who started training in an Ansar camp at Shahjahan Ali Road, Khulna.
that the Hindu minority in East Pakistan, under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
, are conspiring to secede from Pakistan. He also said in Rawalpindi
that the actions of the Pakistan Army
in Operation Searchlight
were justified in order to preserve the unity of the country. Azam declared that his party (Jamaat) is trying its best to curb the activities of pro-independence "Miscreants". Azam took part in meetings with General Yahiya Khan, the military dictator of Pakistan, and other military leaders, to organize the campaign against Bangladeshi independence.
On August 12, 1971, Azam declared in a statement published in the Daily Sangram that "the supporters of the so-called Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".
The military junta of Yahya Khan
decided to call an election in an attempt to legitimise themselves. So, on October 12, 1971 Yahya Khan
declared that an election will be held from November 25 to December 9. Ghulam Azam decided to take part in this election. On October 15, the Pakistani government suddenly declared that 15 candidates were elected without any competition. According to the declaration of November 2 as many as 53 candidates were elected without any competition. In this election Azam's Jamaat won 14 of the uncontested seats.
from West Pakistan on 3 December when midway through the flight, the plane changed direction to Saudi Arabia because of the formation of India-Bangladesh joint force against Pakistan. A few weeks later East Pakistan
emerged as newly independent country Bangladesh
and Ghulam Azam along with his political party Jamaat-e-Islami
was banned by new country's government and Azam's Bangladesh
citizenship was cancelled. However, New York Times reported that Azam left East Pakistan due to his opposition to the independence movement.
, were similarly restricted from participation in the new country's political scenario. On 18 April 1973 the government revoked the citizenship of Ghulam Azam and thirty-eight other collaborators of Pakistan Army. Azam refused an offer of amnesty from the then Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
to return to Bangladesh and renounce Jamaat politics, choosing to live in exile in Pakistan
and England
until 1978, when President Ziaur Rahman
restored multi-party democratic system, Jamaat re-launched itself, seizing the opportunity, and soon Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa. While in Pakistan, he was a leader of what was left of the Pakistani branch of the Jamaat.
over Pakistan on 16 December 1971 a new nation named Bangladesh
was born. Azam continued his anti-Bangladesh and pro-Pakistan activities even after 1971. He tried to convince many political leaders of Middle-East and Pakistan not to support the new born nation. A complete description of these lobbies are found in the writings of Dhaka University Professor Anisuzzaman
. Anisuzzaman submitted all the allegations against Ghulam Azam to the People's Court in 1992. People's Court was established as a mass movement to try war criminals and anti-independence activists by Jahanara Imam
and others. Jahanara Imam held this unprecedented Peoples' Court as a symbolic trial of Ghulam Azam where thousands of people gathered and the court gave verdict that Azam's offenses committed during the Liberation War deserved capital punishment.
According to Prothom Alo
, three intellectuals submitted allegations of war crimes against Ghulam Azam. The activities regarding Bengali culture were submitted by Syed Shamsul Huq
, alleged war crimes during 1971 were detailed by Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir and his pro-Pakistan lobbying after 1971 was detailed by Anisuzzaman. Notable pro-Pakistan lobbying of Ghulam Azam after 1971 are as follows:
allowed Azam to return to Bangladesh. Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa with a Pakistani passport. But he had been living in Bangladesh from 1978 to 1994 as a Pakistani national without any valid visa to stay in Bangladesh.
Azam became the unofficial Ameer of the party while remaining in Bangladesh illegally, as he was denied Bangladeshi citizenship and had overstayed his visitors visa on his Pakistani passport. However, no attempt was made to restrain him, and he moved around openly. His citizenship was granted in 1994 by a decision of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, as the panel of Judges, with Muhammad Habibur Rahman as the Chief Justice (later chief of the Caretaker government of 1996), decreed that by virtue of his birth he had right to Bangladeshi citizenship.
Though the Jamaat fell out with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the run up to the 1996 elections, it re-established its alliance creating a coalition of 4 parties prior to the 2001 elections. In conjunction with the Islami Oikya Jote
and a faction of the Jatiya Party, Jamaat again allied with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the coalition emerged as the winning power.
Ghulam Azam announced his retirement from active politics in late 2000. He was succeeded by Motiur Rahman Nizami.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i political leader who is regarded in his country as a war criminal
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The former Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, he opposed the independence of Bangladesh during and after the 1971 war and led the formation of Shanti Committee
Shanti Committee
Shanti Committee was a group of rural committees formed in Bangladesh in 1971 by the occupying army of Pakistan.-Naming and Inspirations:Shanti is a Bangla word meaning peace. This committee is supposed to restore peace in East Pakistan against the Mukti Bahini...
, Razakar
Razakars (Pakistan)
The Razakar was the paramilitary force organized by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.The Urdu word razakar literally means "volunteer". The Razakar force was composed of mostly pro-Pakistani Bengalis and Urdu-speaking migrants living in erstwhile East Pakistan...
and Al-Badr
Al-Badr (East Pakistan)
The Al-Badr was the paramilitary wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh that collaborated with the Pakistan Army against the Bengali nationalist movement in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The present chief of the Jamaat, Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami headed the Al-Badr organisation as the...
to thwart the Indian armed and trained Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on...
that fought for independence. He also lobbied against the acknowledgment of new-born Bangladesh after 1971 with a opened demand called 'Bangladesh Na Manjoor' (Bangladesh not approved). During this activity Ghulam Azam sent requests to Middle Eastern countries to deny recognition to Bangladesh. This continued until the late 1980s.
He was a permanent resident of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
until 1978, and maintained Pakistani citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
until 1994 due to the decision by the Bangladeshi government at the time to refuse him citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
. From 1978 to 1994 he lived in Bangladesh illegally without any authorized Bangladeshi visa. In 1994, the Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
upheld the decision to restore his citizenship of Bangladesh as a matter of birth-right. He was the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh until 2000.
Early political career
Azam entered politics as a student leader at Dhaka University, and in 1947 became the Secretary General of the Dhaka University Central Students Union. Among his earliest campaigns was participation in the Bengali Language Movement during 1950s. He submitted the memorandum to the Pakistan government demanding BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
as one of the state languages, on behalf of the students of Dhaka University, following the demand made by Dhirendranath Datta
Dhirendranath Datta
Dhirendranath Datta was a Bengali lawyer by profession who was also active in the politics of undivided Bengal in pre-partition India, and later in East Pakistan...
in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly
Constituent Assembly of Pakistan
The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was formed to write Pakistan's constitution, and serve as its first parliament. It first convened on 11 August 1947, before the end of British rule on August 15, 1947. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the first President of this Assembly until his death on...
in February 1948 and the resulting nationalist uprising in East Bengal. Azam, however, distanced himself from the Language Movement when it became clear that it was becoming a rallying call for a secular Bengali nationalist movement rather than one focused on Bengali Muslim activism alone. Since his return to Bangladesh in the 1970s Ghulam Azam has never participated in the official commemorations of the Language Movement and he and his party celebrate that event separately.
Azam became the secretary of the Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, in 1957. Later, he became the Ameer (president) of the Jamaat in East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
in 1969. He was also a participant in the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance in 1967.
Early initiatives with Shanti Committee
During the Bangladesh Liberation WarBangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
of 1971, Azam played a central role in the formation of Peace Committees
Shanti Committee
Shanti Committee was a group of rural committees formed in Bangladesh in 1971 by the occupying army of Pakistan.-Naming and Inspirations:Shanti is a Bangla word meaning peace. This committee is supposed to restore peace in East Pakistan against the Mukti Bahini...
, which declared the independence movement to be a conspiracy hatched by India. Azam was one of the founding members of this organization. After Operation Searchlight
Operation Searchlight
Operation Searchlight was a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in the erstwhile East Pakistan in March 1971. Ordered by the central government in West Pakistan, this was seen as the sequel to "Operation Blitz" which had been...
, Pakistani forces lost control of Bangladesh. To help control this situation the Pakistan Army set up a network of peace committees superimposed upon the normal civil administration as the army could not rely upon the local Bengali administration. The Peace Committee members were drawn from Azam's Jamaat-e-Islami, the Muslim League and Biharis
Bihari people
The Biharis are an ethnic group originating from the present state of Bihar with a history going back three millennia...
. The Peace Committee served as a front for the army, informing on the civil administration as well as the general public. They were also in charge of confiscating and redistribution of shops and lands from Hindu and pro-independence Bengalis, mainly relatives and friends of Mukti Bahini fighters. Almost 10 million Bangladeshis fled to neighboring India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as refugees. The Shanti Committee also recruited Razakars, who were common criminals who had thrown their lots with the army.
On April 12, 1971, Azam and Matiur Rahman Nizami
Matiur Rahman Nizami
Motiur Rahman Nizami , is the current chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, which is the largest Islamic political party in Bangladesh.-Jamaat and Al-Badr activist:...
led demonstrations denouncing the independence movement as an Indian conspiracy.
Forming Razakars and Al-Badr
During Azam's leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, Ashraf Hossain, a leader of Jamaat's student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, created the Al-BadrAl-Badr (East Pakistan)
The Al-Badr was the paramilitary wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh that collaborated with the Pakistan Army against the Bengali nationalist movement in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The present chief of the Jamaat, Maulana Motiur Rahman Nizami headed the Al-Badr organisation as the...
militia in Jamalpur District
Jamalpur District
Jamalpur is a district in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. The main Jamalpur town consists of 12 wards and 80 mahallas. The municipality was established in 1869. The area of the town is 53.28 km². The town has a population of 116754; male 51.06%, female 48.94%. Density of population is 2191 per...
on 22 April 1971. Current Jamaat Ameer (supreme leader) Matiur Rahman Nizami
Matiur Rahman Nizami
Motiur Rahman Nizami , is the current chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, which is the largest Islamic political party in Bangladesh.-Jamaat and Al-Badr activist:...
was the supreme commander of this militia. Nizami was a leader of Islami Chhatra Shongha
Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir
Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir is an Islamic student organization in Bangladesh. It is the de facto student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, a political party.This organization was previously named as 'Islamai Chattra Shangha'...
then.
Also, in May, 1971, another Jamaat leader Mawlana Yusuf, a subordinate to Azam, created the Razakar militia in Khulna
Khulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial center. It has a seaport named Mongla on its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna...
. The first recruits included 96 Jamaat party members, who started training in an Ansar camp at Shahjahan Ali Road, Khulna.
Late anti-independence activities
During the war Azam traveled the then West Pakistan to consult the Pakistani leaders. On June 20, 1971, Azam declared in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
that the Hindu minority in East Pakistan, under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
, are conspiring to secede from Pakistan. He also said in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
that the actions of the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
in Operation Searchlight
Operation Searchlight
Operation Searchlight was a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in the erstwhile East Pakistan in March 1971. Ordered by the central government in West Pakistan, this was seen as the sequel to "Operation Blitz" which had been...
were justified in order to preserve the unity of the country. Azam declared that his party (Jamaat) is trying its best to curb the activities of pro-independence "Miscreants". Azam took part in meetings with General Yahiya Khan, the military dictator of Pakistan, and other military leaders, to organize the campaign against Bangladeshi independence.
On August 12, 1971, Azam declared in a statement published in the Daily Sangram that "the supporters of the so-called Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".
The military junta of Yahya Khan
Yahya Khan
General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan Qizilbash, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the third President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan...
decided to call an election in an attempt to legitimise themselves. So, on October 12, 1971 Yahya Khan
Yahya Khan
General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan Qizilbash, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the third President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan...
declared that an election will be held from November 25 to December 9. Ghulam Azam decided to take part in this election. On October 15, the Pakistani government suddenly declared that 15 candidates were elected without any competition. According to the declaration of November 2 as many as 53 candidates were elected without any competition. In this election Azam's Jamaat won 14 of the uncontested seats.
Fleeing from Bangladesh
Ghulam Azam wrote some of his activities of 9 months of the war in his biography Jibone Ja Dekhlam (What I have seen in life). According to his book, Azam claims that he was on way to DhakaDhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
from West Pakistan on 3 December when midway through the flight, the plane changed direction to Saudi Arabia because of the formation of India-Bangladesh joint force against Pakistan. A few weeks later East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
emerged as newly independent country Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and Ghulam Azam along with his political party Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamaat-e-Islami
This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan...
was banned by new country's government and Azam's Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
citizenship was cancelled. However, New York Times reported that Azam left East Pakistan due to his opposition to the independence movement.
Years in exile
After the war, the Bangladesh government declared the newly independent country to be secular, and mandated separation of religion from the state, and therefore sought to remove the influence of religious fundamentalists from national life, and religion based political parties were banned. In addition, the Jamaat and its leaders, because they were seen as guilty of collaboration with the Pakistan occupation forces during the Bangladesh Liberation WarBangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
, were similarly restricted from participation in the new country's political scenario. On 18 April 1973 the government revoked the citizenship of Ghulam Azam and thirty-eight other collaborators of Pakistan Army. Azam refused an offer of amnesty from the then Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a Bengali nationalist politician and the founder of Bangladesh. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its Prime Minister. He headed the Awami League, served as the first President of Bangladesh and later became its...
to return to Bangladesh and renounce Jamaat politics, choosing to live in exile in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
until 1978, when President Ziaur Rahman
Ziaur Rahman
President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...
restored multi-party democratic system, Jamaat re-launched itself, seizing the opportunity, and soon Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa. While in Pakistan, he was a leader of what was left of the Pakistani branch of the Jamaat.
Anti-Bangladesh Lobbying after 1971
After the victory of the Joint forces of the Indian Army and Mukti BahiniMukti Bahini
Mukti Bahini , also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on...
over Pakistan on 16 December 1971 a new nation named Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
was born. Azam continued his anti-Bangladesh and pro-Pakistan activities even after 1971. He tried to convince many political leaders of Middle-East and Pakistan not to support the new born nation. A complete description of these lobbies are found in the writings of Dhaka University Professor Anisuzzaman
Anisuzzaman
Anisuzzaman is an author and academic of Bengali literature. He is Professor Emeritus of the University of Dhaka. He has received the Bangla Academy Award and the Ananda Purashkar for his work in the field of Bengali literature...
. Anisuzzaman submitted all the allegations against Ghulam Azam to the People's Court in 1992. People's Court was established as a mass movement to try war criminals and anti-independence activists by Jahanara Imam
Jahanara Imam
Jahanara Imam was a Bangladeshi writer and political activist. She is most widely remembered for her efforts to bring those accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial...
and others. Jahanara Imam held this unprecedented Peoples' Court as a symbolic trial of Ghulam Azam where thousands of people gathered and the court gave verdict that Azam's offenses committed during the Liberation War deserved capital punishment.
According to Prothom Alo
Prothom Alo
Prothom Alo is a major daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka in the Bengali language.-History:Prothom Alo was founded on 4 November 1998. As at January 2009, it had an average circulation of 435,000...
, three intellectuals submitted allegations of war crimes against Ghulam Azam. The activities regarding Bengali culture were submitted by Syed Shamsul Huq
Syed Shamsul Huq
Syed Shamsul Huq is an award-winning Bangladeshi author and poet. he contributed to almost all forms of literature in Bengali language.- References :...
, alleged war crimes during 1971 were detailed by Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir and his pro-Pakistan lobbying after 1971 was detailed by Anisuzzaman. Notable pro-Pakistan lobbying of Ghulam Azam after 1971 are as follows:
- After the liberation of Bangladesh Azam, staying in Pakistan, created an organization named Purbo Pakistan Punoruddhar Committee (East Pakistan Revival Committee) along with anti-Bangladesh activists like Mahmud Ali. Azam tried to strengthen the international movement to re-establish East Pakistan. Accordingly he kept claiming himself as the Ameer of East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami many years after the elimination of East Pakistan.
- In 1972, Azam formed Purbo Pakistan Punoruddhar Committee in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and conspired with others to replace Bangladesh with East Pakistan. In 1973, he lectured against Bangladesh in the annual conference of Federation of Students' Islamic Societies held in ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and conference of UK Islamic Commission held in LesterLesterLester is a Scottish and Irish surname of Gaelic origin, which is a variant of the surname Lister.Lester may refer to:-Given name:*Lester Bangs , American music critic...
. In 1974, he arranged a meeting of Purbo Pakistan Punoruddhar Committee with Pakistanis like Mahmud Ali. As they had already failed to establish a Pakistan within Bangladesh, they decided to lead their movement towards the formation of a confederation combining BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. In this meeting Azam explained the necessity of working for the movement within Bangladesh though it was a bit risky then. In, 1977 in a meeting held in the Holy Trinity Church College, Azam expressed it again. He came to Bangladesh in 1978 with a Pakistani passport and Bangladeshi visa only to make his dream of Pakistan-Bangladesh confederation come true. - Ghulam Azam participated in the International Islamic Youth Conference held in Riyad in 1972 and begged the help of all Muslim countries to re-establish East Pakistan. From 1973 to 1976 he met Saudi King seven times and asked him not to acknowledge Bangladesh and never to help this country by any means. He lectured against Bangladesh again in the international conference arranged by Rabeta-e-Alam Al-Islami in Mecca in 1974 and at King Abdul Aziz University in 1977.
- Azam lobbied against the acknowledgment of new born Bangladesh in the conference of Foreign ministers of the Muslim countries held in BenghaziBenghaziBenghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
in 1973. In the same year he lectured in the Islamic Youth Conference held in TripoliTripoliTripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
which was clearly against the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh. - In 1973 Ghulam Azam urged everybody to participate in the movement of combining Bangladesh with Pakistan in the annual conference of Muslim Students' Association of America and Canada held at Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. - Azam lectured against Bangladesh again in 1977, in the international conference of Islamic Federation of Students' Organizations held at IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
Rehabilitation in independent Bangladesh
In 1978, then Bangladesh President Ziaur RahmanZiaur Rahman
President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...
allowed Azam to return to Bangladesh. Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa with a Pakistani passport. But he had been living in Bangladesh from 1978 to 1994 as a Pakistani national without any valid visa to stay in Bangladesh.
Azam became the unofficial Ameer of the party while remaining in Bangladesh illegally, as he was denied Bangladeshi citizenship and had overstayed his visitors visa on his Pakistani passport. However, no attempt was made to restrain him, and he moved around openly. His citizenship was granted in 1994 by a decision of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, as the panel of Judges, with Muhammad Habibur Rahman as the Chief Justice (later chief of the Caretaker government of 1996), decreed that by virtue of his birth he had right to Bangladeshi citizenship.
Though the Jamaat fell out with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the run up to the 1996 elections, it re-established its alliance creating a coalition of 4 parties prior to the 2001 elections. In conjunction with the Islami Oikya Jote
Islami Oikya Jote
The Islami Oikya Jote is a political party in Bangladesh.At the last legislative elections, 1 October 2001, the party won 2 out of 300 elected members in an alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It is led by Ameer Allama Mufti Fazlul Huq Amini and Chairman Shaikul Hadith Allama Azizul Haq...
and a faction of the Jatiya Party, Jamaat again allied with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the coalition emerged as the winning power.
Ghulam Azam announced his retirement from active politics in late 2000. He was succeeded by Motiur Rahman Nizami.
External links
- www.GhulamAzam.com
- Ghulam Azam's Autobigraphy (in Bengali) Part I, Part II, Part III