BANGLADESH

An elderly woman was burnt to death as a fire broke out at her house in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat early Monday.

The dead victim is Joyfun Nesa, 76, wife of Hossain Ali of Chandonpat village in the upazila, reports our Lalmonirhat correspondent.

Locals and family sources said the fire was originated from an electric short circuit in the room of Joyfun Nesa’s younger son Jafor Ali and soon spread to four other adjacent rooms including Joyfun Nesa’s one.

All the family members except Joyfun Nesa managed to go out of the house safely.

Local people extinguished the fire after two hours of frantic efforts.

The first war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh is scheduled to rule on Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam's indictment on Sunday, already having deferred the date twice.

The International Crimes Tribunal–1, set up on Mar 25 of 2010, on the 39th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence, is trying crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

The prosecution's numerous charges against the former Jamaat-e-Islami chief mainly consist of incitement, conspiracy, complicity and command responsibility for crimes against humanity.

Ghulam Azam, a former chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, arguably the largest Islamist organisation in the subcontinent, is allegedly among the key people who pioneered anti-liberation efforts in 1971 colluding with the Pakistani military junta of that time.

Azam is widely perceived to have been among core group of right-wing supporters of the Pakistani Army, who came out strongly in support of a united Pakistan.

Ghulam Azam, then chief of Jamaat, was instrumental in setting up the infamous Peace Committee at the national level. The Razakars, an auxiliary force set up mainly to actively thwart the liberation forces, are said to have been mobilised through the Peace Committees across Bangladesh.

Among the most notorious vigilante militia are the Al Badr, whose membership is said to have been mainly dominated by the Jamaat's student wing, called the Islami Chhatra Sangha at that time.

The Al Badr is alleged to have spearheaded execution of the intellectual elites of Bangladesh just days before Bangladesh's victory on Dec 16, 1971.

On Dec 12, 2011, the prosecution brought a 52-point charter of charges against Azam and appealed for his arrest. Later, following the tribunal order, charges were re-arranged and presented to the tribunal on Jan 5.

He was produced before the tribunal on Jan 11 and sent to jail the same day. Since that evening, Ghulam Azam has been kept at the prison cell of the Bangabandhu medical university for better treatment considering his delicate health.

Azam had allegedly led the infamous 'peace committees' and collaborated with the Pakistan Army during the Liberation War. He also spoke in favour of Pakistan to the Middle Eastern countries during the war, according to the prosecution.

He stayed in London for seven years after 1971 and returned to Bangladesh in 1978 during BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's rule. Having led Jamaat for long, Azam retired from active politics in 1999.

His party remains a key ally of the main opposition BNP. Two Jamaat leaders, also behind bars for war crimes charges, have even served as ministers during the BNP's last tenure in government between 2001 and 2006, when Azam's party was part of the ruling coalition.

The newly-formed Election Commission will hold talks with political parties if needed regarding the use of electronic voting machines in the national polls, the chief election commissioner has said.The EC will again take the initiative to hold dialogue with political parties to make use of EVMs in the national polls acceptable to everyone. The new commission has not yet taken a decision on the matter, Kazi Rakib Uddin Ahmed told journalists at the EC secretariat on Tuesday.This is first time the new CEC has talked about EVMs after taking office on Feb 9.When the previous EC talked to political parties on the issue, they suggested using EVMs in other polls prior to their use in the national polls. BNP strongly opposed their use, while Awami League extended full support.At the end of the previous commissions tenure, former CEC A T M Shamsul Huda said that they are completing all preparations needed for the use of EVMs in the national polls.The former EC also instructed BUETs IICT to develop prototype of the present EVM to be used in the national polls.New CEC Kazi Rakib said, Technology has seen massive development. So we will not lag behind the technology.Talks are going on with BUET to make the current EVMs more precise and reliable, so that normal voters do not face any problems and can cast their votes properly.