Ex-Bangladesh minister acquitted in arms smuggling case
The Dhaka High Court acquitted six individuals, including former minister Lutfozzaman Babar, in the 2004 Chittagong arms smuggling case. Ulfa leader Paresh Barua's death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. The verdict raises security concer...
The court also reduced the death sentence of United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) leader Paresh Barua to life imprisonment and commuted the death sentence of six other convicts to 10 years in prison.
The Indian establishment is closely monitoring developments as the 10 trucks full of arms were meant for Ulfa and other insurgent groups in the northeast and terror groups in other parts of India.
The smuggling attempt was foiled at the last moment.
On January 30, 2014, then Chittagong metropolitan sessions judge SM Mujibur Rahman sentenced 14 people to death under the Special Powers Act. They were also handed life imprisonment and seven years' imprisonment each under two sections of the arms case.
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Former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Babar, Barua (currently believed to be located at China-Myanmar border), former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence director major general (retired) Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury and former National Security Intelligence director general Abdur Rahim were among the 14 sentenced to death.
The development is expected to strengthen the Tareque Rahman faction of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as Babar is a close associate of Rahman. In 2004, Babar was minister of state for home affairs under the BNP-Jamaat regime. Babar is also alleged to have shielded radicals and terrorists. Rahman's role in the 10-truck case cannot be absolved, sources said.
Most northeastern insurgent groups allegedly operated from Bangladesh's territory when BNP was in power in alliance with Jamaat from 2001-06.
