Dhaka: The four top Jamaat leaders wanted on war-crime charges have been summoned to appear before the International Crimes Tribunal on August 2 to stand trial for the offences allegedly committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Already detained in custody after their arrest in other cases and then implicated in war-crime cases, the summoned four are Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, and assistant secretaries-general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Mollah.

Registrar of the tribunal Mohammad Shahinur Islam, on the tribunal’s behalf, issued the summons on Thursday afternoon as a follow-up to the arrest warrants issued earlier at the first sitting of the tribunal.

Officials said the order was issued in response to a report sent by Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque to the tribunal, stating that “since the Jamaat leaders have already been detained in other cases, the arrest warrants issued by the tribunal needn’t be followed up”.

Earlier on Monday, the three-member tribunal led by Justice Nizamul Huq Nasim gave the arrest order after a petition was filed Sunday by Chief Prosecutor Golam Arif Tipu for showing the four arrested on specific charges of crimes during the Liberation War.

During the hearing, the prosecution chief also had appealed to the tribunal for issuing arrest warrants against the Jamaat leaders for their alleged involvement in genocide, murder, rape, torture, loot, and arsons during the Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistani occupation army.

The tribunal fixed August 2 for the next hearing and asked the prosecution panel to inform the court about the execution of its order on that day.

The petition was filed as per section 3(2) of the International Crimes Tribunal Act 1973 in order to allow investigation into the crimes.

 “Under the Tribunal Act allegations of crimes against humanity, including genocide, killings, looting, rape, torching and vandalism, can be filed. Besides, appeal for arresting the accused in this regard can also be made,” said Golam Arif Tipu.

Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee were arrested on June 29 on charges of hurting religious sentiments of Muslims through their blasphemous comments.

Later, party assistant secretaries-general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Mollah were arrested from the High Court gate on July 13 in a murder-and-arson case filed with Pallabi thana by an injured freedom fighter in January 2008.

BDST: 1717HRS, JULY 29, 2010