Saudi govt turned down Jamaat, BNP requests
Jamaat-e-Islami has several times looked to Saudi Arabia to intervene and stop the war crimes trial. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had had appealed to the Saudi government to resolve political crisis, but received no response.
This was revealed in the Saudi diplomatic cables on Bangladesh published by WikiLeaks recently.
Late King Abdullah decided not to interfere in Bangladesh's internal affairs under a royal decree No. 61646 issued on 15 November, 2011.
The Saudi government did not even respond to Khaleda Zia’s request for her son Arafat Rahman’s medical treatment at the king’s expense, apprehending this would strain relations with Sheikh Hasina Wazed's government of Bangladesh.
The Saudi embassy in Dhaka has refrained from making any comment.
Adviser to the BNP chairperson Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, also former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told Prothom Alo, “It is not believable!”
“It cannot be. The Saudi royal family had warm relations with Ziaur Rahman's family and this still continues,” he said, claiming that Khaleda Zia never sought Saudi mediation.
He expressed his doubt about the substantiality of the Saudi cables revealed by WikiLeaks.
A responsible source of Jamaat-e-Islami declined to comment without knowing the matter properly.
Bangladesh ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Golam Moshi, told Prothom Alo that the decision of the king reflected the Saudi attitude as he (Moshi) knew.
The ambassador also confirmed that Saudi government had not said anything about war crimes trial or internal politics of Bangladesh.
Referring to the message from the Saudi embassy in Dhaka, the Saudi foreign ministry drew attention of King Abdullah around May-June of 2012 about a letter of Khaleda Zia mainly requesting him to intervene in the political crisis.
The foreign ministry reportedly also reminded the king about an earlier request of Jamaat-e-Islami to stop war crimes trial in Bangladesh.
The message also mentioned the royal decree issued by the Saudi king one year ago that put a bar on any intervention in both the matters.
Saudi foreign minister further wrote in his letter, “The Saudi embassy (in Dhaka) also said that instability prevailed in Bangladesh because of the conflict between the government and the opposition.”
“Many opposition activists are jailed along with Jamaat-e-Islami leaders who sought intervention of Saudi government more than once for helping them, and to stop the trial which was to begin on charges of conducting war crimes during the Liberation War. Her (Khaleda’s) letter came at the time when the opposition was keen on Saudi mediation to resolve the crisis in Bangladesh.”
The cables received by WikiLeaks were sent from Saudi embassy in Dhaka when Dr Busairy was ambassador from 2008 to 2014.
From Islamabad: The Saudi embassy in Pakistan, in a secret message to the Asia Desk of the foreign ministry in Riyadh (No. 10/7/3, date 30 January, 2012) said, “The honourable ambassador has come to know from a special source that if the imprisoned patriotic politicians of Bangladesh are tried for war crimes of 1971 (when Bangladesh seceded from Pakistan), it will be inciting for Pakistan, its military in particular. The source also said 90-year old Professor Golam Azam had been arrested at the latest on charge of collaborating with the Pakistan army and participating in secret killings in the secession war of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971.
“Some retired army officials of Pakistan think India is behind the incitement (war crimes trial). It wants to implicate Pakistan in the international trial,” the message added.
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