Jabbar committed atrocities in 1971: PW 2

A prosecution witness (PW) while testifying before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 claimed that Engineer Abdul Jabbar committed atrocities during Bangladesh's independence struggles in 1971. PW 2 Abdul Quddus Matabbar testified before the ICT-1 against fugitive war crimes accused Engineer Abdul Jabbar, a former Jatiya Party MP from Pirojpur district, on Monday. Hailing also from Tushkhali of Mathbaria Upazila of Pirojpur, PW-2 Quddus, now 59, said that he attended the meeting on local high school ground on May 16, 1971, after hearing the microphone publicity early in the morning saying that Mathbaria Peace Committee Chairman Engineer Abdul Jabbar will address the people. In his address as the chair of the meeting, the PW said, Engineer Jabbar branding the leaders of Awami League, freedom fighters and members of Hindu community as enemy of Pakistan, called upon the local people to exterminate them to save Pakistan. 'Accused Jabbar also issued a fatwa (Islamic edict) instigating people to loot the goods and cattle of Hindus to establish their rights as war booty' Quddus, said. Corroborating almost the identical evidence of PW-1 Shoebur Rahman Golder, PW-2 Quddus narrated the incidents as to how the 'colleborators' at the behest of accused Jabbar burned over 150 Hindu houses down after plundering in Kulupara and Nampara villages, and the joint operation led by Jabbar along with his razakar bahini (militia) in collaboration with the Pakistan occupation forces in Fuljhuri village, converted under duress about 200 Hindus into Muslims and killed 22 out of 37 captured Hindus from Angulkata village. Earlier, state defence counsel MA Hassan had cross-examined PW-1 Golder, according to a news agency.