1. Ghulam Azam was a politician and convicted war criminal.
47 Facts About Ghulam Azam
1. 2.
Ghulam Azam was an Islamist leader in Bangladesh who served as the Ameer of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
3.
The tribunal stated that Ghulam Azam deserved capital punishment for his activity during the Bangladesh Liberation War but was given a lenient punishment of imprisonment because of his age and poor health condition.
4.
Ghulam Azam was accused of forming paramilitary groups for the Pakistani Army, including Razakars, and Al-Badr.
5.
Ghulam Azam's citizenship was cancelled by the Bangladeshi Government because of playing an opposition role during the Bangladesh liberation war.
6.
Ghulam Azam lived informally in Bangladesh from 1978 to 1994 without any authorised Bangladeshi visa.
7.
Ghulam Azam's citizenship was then reinstated by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
8.
Ghulam Azam was arrested on 11 January 2012 by the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh on the charges of committing war crimes during the Bangladesh liberation war.
9.
Ghulam Azam was 91 when he died of a stroke on 23 October 2014 at BSMMU.
10.
Sheikh Ghulam Azam was born on 7 November 1922 in his maternal home, the Shah Saheb Bari of Lakshmibazar, Dacca, Bengal Presidency.
11.
Ghulam Azam was the eldest son of Sheikh Ghulam Kabir and Sayeda Ashrafunnisa.
12.
Ghulam Azam's father Ghulam Kabir was a Mawlana and so was his father Sheikh Abdus Subhan.
13.
Ghulam Azam's mother Sayeda Ashrafunnisa was daughter of Shah Sayed Abdul Munim whose family is a Sayed Peer family, his father Shah Sayed Emdad Ali was a descendant of Shah Sayed Sufi Hosseini who arrived from Iran via Delhi in 1722 AD and settled in what is known as Sayedabad of Kaliakor.
14.
Ghulam Azam's education began at the local madrasa in Birgaon and then completed his secondary school education in Dhaka.
15.
In 1950, Ghulam Azam left Dhaka to teach political science at the Government Carmichael College in Rangpur.
16.
In 1964, the government of Ayub Khan banned Jamaat-e-Islami and its leaders, including Ghulam Azam, and imprisoned them for eight months without trials.
17.
Ghulam Azam played a prominent role as the general secretary of the Pakistan Democratic Movement formed in 1967 and later, he was elected as the member of Democratic Action Committee in 1969 to transform the anti-Ayub movement into a popular uprising.
18.
On 20 June 1971, Ghulam Azam reaffirmed his support for the Pakistani army by citing that 'the army has eradicated nearly all criminals of East Pakistan'.
19.
Ghulam Azam denies the association between the Peace Committee and the Razakar militia as they were formed by the government and headed by Pakistani army general Tikka Khan.
20.
Ghulam Azam declared that his party is trying its best to curb the activities of pro-independence "Miscreants".
21.
Ghulam Azam took part in meetings with General Yahya Khan, the military dictator of Pakistan and other military leaders to organize the campaign against Bangladeshi independence.
22.
On 12 August 1971, Ghulam Azam declared in a statement published in the Daily Sangram that "the supporters of the so-called Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".
23.
Ghulam Azam called for an all out war against India.
24.
Ghulam Azam was alleged as the prime standard-bearer who presented the blueprint of the killing of the intellectuals during a meeting with Rao Farman Ali in early September 1971.
25.
On 20 June 1971, Ghulam Azam declared in Lahore that the Hindu minority in East Pakistan, under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, are conspiring to secede from Pakistan.
26.
On 12 August 1971, Ghulam Azam declared in a statement published in the Daily Sangram that "the supporters of the Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".
27.
On his part, Ghulam Azam denied all such accusations and challenged the validity of some, giving reasons to justify others.
28.
In 2011, Ghulam Azam denied such sentiments and claimed that the Pakistani government censored Sangram.
29.
In 2011, Ghulam Azam claimed that the reason for his opposition to the creation of Bangladesh were only political and he denied participation in any crime.
30.
Ghulam Azam lived in exile in London until he was allowed to return home in 1978.
31.
In 1978, Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a Pakistani passport with a temporary visa, and stayed as a Pakistani national until 1994 even after his visa expired; he refused to leave the country and continued to live in Bangladesh.
32.
Ghulam Azam's stay was however unwelcome in Bangladesh and he was beaten by an angry mob at the footsteps of the Baitul Mukarram mosque while attending a funeral in 1981.
33.
Ghulam Azam proposed a caretaker government system to facilitate free and fair elections, which was adopted in 1990.
34.
Ghulam Azam announced his retirement from active politics in late 2000.
35.
On 11 January 2012, Ghulam Azam was arrested on charges of committing crimes against humanity and peace, genocide and war crimes in 1971 by the International Crimes Tribunal.
36.
Ghulam Azam described his treatment as "a gross violation of human rights" even though he was kept in a hospital prison cell.
37.
Ghulam Azam's wife complained that he had been denied proper family visits and access to books, saying that this amounted to "mental torture".
38.
On 25 February 2012, The Daily Star further reported that Ghulam Azam's nephew was denied a visit shortly before he was about to enter hospital prison.
39.
The judicial process under which Ghulam Azam was on trial was criticized by international organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
40.
Ghulam Azam was convicted of war crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War by the International Crimes Tribunal-1 of Bangladesh.
41.
The charges against Ghulam Azam were torturing and the killings of a police officer Shiru Mia and three other civilians.
42.
The judges unanimously agreed that Ghulam Azam deserved capital punishment but was given a lenient punishment because of his aging and poor health condition.
43.
The Daily Amardesh reported that the evidence presented before the court against Ghulam Azam consisted of newspaper clippings published during 1971.
44.
Ghulam Azam died after suffering a stroke on 23 October 2014 at 10:10 PM at BSMMU while serving jail sentences for crimes against humanity during Bangladesh Liberation War.
45.
Ghulam Azam's death was reported by Abdul Majid Bhuiyan, director of BSMMU.
46.
Ghulam Azam was put on life support system at 8 PM.
47.
Ghulam Azam's namaz-e-janaza was held at Bangladesh's national mosque Baitul Mokarram, which is still considered one of the largest gatherings at any funeral prayers.