Bill in JS any moment to try Jamaat for suspected war crimes

Bangladesh is amending law to put Jamaat-e-Islami on trial for suspected war crimes, Law Minister Barrister Anisul Huq has said. But the bill will be tabled in Parliament when the government wants, he said. The High Court in 2013 ruled that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party is illegal. Jamaat came out strongly in support of a united Pakistan in 1971. Officials at the Ministry of Law said Jamaat can be outlawed if it is tried and convicted for war crimes. But at present, the International Crimes Tribunal Act only allows trying individuals on war crimes charges. Most of the war crimes convicts are from Jamaat. Responding to a question, Minister Anisul Huq said: “The amendment draft of International Crimes Tribunal Act to outlaw the Jamaat and its fronts is with the Cabinet. The bill will be tabled in Parliament with the Cabinet’s approval whenever the government wants.” He explained to bdnews24.com that the government was amending the ICT Act to bring Jamaat to justice and that the draft was awaiting Cabinet approval.