Moulana Abdul Mannan

Moulana Abdul Mannan (Bengali: মওলানা আবদুল মান্নান) was the Ex Minister for Religious Affairs in General Ershad's cabinet. He was one of the top leaders of Peace and Welfare Council which was set up to help the Pakistani Army in 1971. Moulana Mannan was an organizer of Al-Badr and a key collaborator of the Pakistani Army during the Liberation war of Bangladesh.[1][2]

Political career

Abdul Mannan was a general secretary of the Islamic Advisory Council and Regional Council during the administration of Ayub Khan. He had intimacy with the Niazi-Yahya-Farman gang. Abdul Mannan was an intimate adherent of Pir Shorshinaa (a religious leader known as a hated collaborator of the Pakistani army).[3] Later, he joined Jamat, became an organizer of Al-Badr in 1971.

He was the president of the Jamiat-e- Mudarressin, an organisation of teachers of Madrasah and the owner of the daily "Dainik Inquilab," the country's one of the highly circulated newspapers.

He was in President Hussain Muhammad Ershad's cabinet. In 1979, he was elected a lawmaker from Chandpur.[4][5]

Anti-Liberation activities

During the Liberation war, Mannan supplied chicken and meats to the camps of Pakistani Army. He was involved with the detestable act of supplying forcefully captured girls to Pakistani Army camp.[1]

Abdul Mannan's anti-liberation activities spread from Faridgang to Dhaka. Mannan, along with the Razakar forces, killed the innocent people, raped the women, burnt their houses, grabbed their property in Faridgang. Khalilur Rahman, an elected chairman of the local village council, was the leader of this atrocity. Not only that, Mannan’s men took steps to wipe out the political opponents by murdering them. Aminul Huq Master, President of Thana Action Council in 1971 and then general secretary of the Awami League's Faridganj chapter, M Abdul Jabbar Patwary and Abdul Awal, members of the action council gave a written statement to people’s Inquiry Commission which reveals that Mannan and his Razakar forces raped and killed the women, tortured and killed countless people including local political leaders and general people.[6]

Mannan issued several statements against the liberation movement. On April 29, 1971 he gave a statement in newspapers which says,”The patriotic people of East Pakistan have come forward today, in the spirit of a holy war, to annihilate the armed infiltrators and secessionists. By actively supporting our brave soldiers, the people have helped them to fulfill their duties in all areas that they have occupied."

On September 29, under the leadership of Mannan, a group of the teachers of Madrasah met Lt. Gen. A. A. K. Niazi. At that meeting, Mannan gave a copy of the Quran to general Niazi and stated that they are ready to support the Pakistan army to preserve the security of Pakistan and the glory of Islam.”.[7]

Moulana Mannam was allegedly involved in the abduction and murder of eminent phycisian A. F. M. Abdul Alim Chowdhury. He had a very close relationship with Brig. Kashem and Capt. Kayum, two leading persons in the Pakistani army who coordinated the killing of the intellectuals. Mannan is also responsible for the death of Abdul Majid, a prominent figure of awami league of Faridgang.[8]

After-Liberation Statements

In Saptahik Bichitra (An Weekly Magazine), Mannan denied that he had been a member of Peace Committee. Again, he claimed that he had not issued any statement in favor of Pakistan Army and the genocide committed by them.[7]

Trial and Release

Hotel Intercontinental and Holy Family Hospital was declared neutral zones by the government on December 11, 1971. Mannan took shelter in one of these zones.[9]

In a report released in March, 1994, a People's Inquiry Commission, identified, in addition to Ghulam Azam, eight others as the collaborators of the Al-Badr in the atrocities. Moulana Abdul Mannan was one of those identified collaborators.[4]

Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, wife of the Dr Abdul Alim Chowdhury, filed a case against Moulana Mannan.[10] The absconding Moulana was caught by police from the Azimpur area of the city of Dhaka. Mannan confessed that three members of the Al-Badr who were his students took away Dr Abdul Alim Chowdhury.[6]

Mannan was taken to the Ramna jail on December 27. He was released for some unknown reason and went into hiding.

Death

Moulana Mannan died on February 6, 2006 at his Banani residence in Dhaka. He died of old-age illness.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 muktadhara article on Maulana Abdul Mannan.
  2. ↑ Bangladesh Genocide Archive.
  3. ↑ Genocide 1971, An Account Of The Killers And Collaborators Genocide’71, published by Muktijuddha Chetana Bikash Kendra, p. 109.
  4. 1 2 A paper on Bangladesh by South Asia Analysis Group. Paper no. 232..
  5. 1 2 A report published in The Daily Star.
  6. 1 2 Report on the findings of the People's Inquiry Commission on the activities of the war criminals and the collaborator.
  7. 1 2 Genocide 1971, An Account Of The Killers And Collaborators Genocide’71, published by Muktijuddha Chetana Bikash Kendra, p. 107.
  8. ↑ Genocide 1971, An Account Of The Killers And Collaborators Genocide’71, published by Muktijuddha Chetana Bikash Kendra, p. 108, 109, 110.
  9. ↑ Genocide 1971, An Account Of The Killers And Collaborators Genocide’71, published by Muktijuddha Chetana Bikash Kendra, p. 77.
  10. ↑ New Age, a Daily Newspaper.
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