War crimes: Body formed to collect info on Pak POWs

A five-member committee has been formed to gather information about all Pakistani prisoners of war (POWs), who were allegedly involved in war crimes during the country’s 1971 War of Independence.

The committee also will collect information about 195 Pakistani prisoners of war who were repatriated to Pakistan following a tripartite agreement signed in Delhi in 1974, Abdul Hannan Khan, chief coordinator of the investigators, told reporters.

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“They (committee members) will collect information and related books and documents from across the country regarding offences by the Pakistani soldiers,” Khan said at ICT investigation agency’s office at Dhanmondi in Dhaka.

 “We took the initiative as there is a demand of the nation to try the Pakistani prisoners of war,” Khan said.

Matiur Rahman, deputy director of the investigation agency, will lead the committee, he said.

The body however has not been tasked with running a formal probe against them.

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The investigation agency of International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) formed the committee on Monday, sources at the ICT said.

According to legal experts, there is no legal bar to trying the 195 POWs and there has also been a longstanding demand to try them at the International Crimes Tribunal, which is now trying their local collaborators.

The demand of trying the POWs has been intensified after Pakistan has recently denied committing any war crimes in 1971.