High Court declares Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration as a political party illegal; Report: Ghulam Azam’s case discussed in Pakistan
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    • According to reports, the High Court on August 1, 2013 declared the Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration as a political party with the Election Commission illegal. The party secured the registration on November 24, 2008. In 2009, some 25 petitioners, including several Islamist parties, organisations and individuals, filed a writ petition with the HC challenging the EC decision to allow Jamaat’s registration. In violation of article 65(1) of the country’s constitution, section 2(5) of Jamaat charter fails to recognise parliament or parliament’s legitimacy to enact laws for the republic, the petition said. It added that Jamaat has offices abroad in violation of the country’s constitution. Moments after the verdict, Jamaat’s counsels stood before the bench and prayed for issuing certificate so that they can directly appeal to the Supreme Court against the judgment. The Jamaat-e-Islami high command has instructed the grassroots to make all-out preparation for tougher agitations again after the Eid, without worrying about the High Court order declaring Jamaat’s registration illegal.1 Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said no one can take part in elections under the banner of Jamaat after the execution of the HC verdict. 2

    According to reports, in his column in the issue of the Urdu language newspaper Jang on July 29, Hamid Mir reveals that at a cabinet meeting last week, the Ghulam Azam, who was sentenced to 90 years in prison for masterminding genocide and other wartime offences in 1971 by International Crimes Tribunal, case came up for some intense discussion. The columnist reports that a senior minister in the Nawaz Sharif government expressed the view that since the Jamaat leader had fought for Pakistan in 1971, the government of Pakistan should protest what he called the injustice being meted out to Ghulam in Bangladesh. His views were opposed by another senior minister, who stated that by associating with the generals of the Pakistan army in 1971 in the killing of Bengalis, Ghulam Azam had waged war against Pakistan. The army and Azam, he said, had nullified the results of the general elections and had gone into action against the party which had won the elections (the Awami League) and were therefore guilty of waging war against Pakistan. At that point another minister spoke up for Ghulam Azam, but then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did not think it prudent to carry on the discussion. It thus came to an end. On July 19, the Pakistan foreign office said that war crimes verdicts were Bangladesh’s internal matter. 3

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