Witness grilling in SQ Chy case put off

Dhaka, Sep 3  The first war crimes tribunal has adjourned cross-examination of the 10th prosecution witness against BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury until Tuesday.

The International Crimes Tribunal – 1 Chairman Justice Mohammad Nizamul Huq told Salauddin Quader's defence counsel Ahsanul Huq that he would be given another hour at 2pm on Tuesday to complete the cross-examination of Qazi Nurul Absar.

Other than Monday's morning session, Absar was cross-examined for one hour when he first took the stand.

Absar's attempt to kill the BNP MP in 1971 for alleged collaboration with the Pakistani Army had failed, killing the car's driver in which Chowdhury was travelling.

The tribunal, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, indicted Chowdhury for 23 war crimes charges on Apr 4.

The second war crimes saw the fifth prosecution witness cross-examination come to an end. Mosharraf Hossain Talukdar had recounted the story of his elder brother Golam Mostafa's murder at the hands of Al Badr members led by Mohammad Kamaruzzaman in Sherpur during the war.

The vigilante militia group Al Badr, along with Razakar and Al Shams, were mobilised among others by Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, who actively worked to thwart the liberation efforts and eliminate freedom fighters.

Jamaat guru and former party chief Ghulam Azam's case, which was scheduled to hear a witness testimony, was adjourned till Sep 10.