Amid strong criticism from the prosecution, Bangladesh Bar Council Vice-chairman Khandker Mahbub Hossain yesterday gave his submission as a counsel for war crimes suspects at the International Crimes Tribunal-1.

After the independence of Bangladesh, Hossain had been a prosecutor in the cases against the collaborators of the Pakistani occupation force that committed crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

But yesterday, as Hossain stood for the war crimes accused, Attorney General MahbubeyAlam termed the stance “self-contradictory”.

Hossain in his submission asked the tribunal to reinitiate the war crimes cases saying it was necessary to uphold the image of the tribunal after the Skype controversy.

He was supposed to give submission for retrial of the war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami, but he gave the submission for three war crimes accused including that for Nizami.

The attorney general expressed astonishment

over the present stance of the veteran lawyer, who is also an adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Following Hossain's submission, the attorney general said Hossain had been a young prosecutor who was appointed by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to try the collaborators in 1973.

"Now he has appeared to protect the collaborators. Can he change his stance?” asked the attorney general.

The defence instantly raised their voice saying the trio were not collaborators which heated up the courtroom for a while.

As the attorney general concluded his submission, Hossain stood up and gave explanation for his present stance.

He claimed that Ghulam Azam, Nizami and Sayedee were not accused in the Collaborators Act, which was formulated to try the persons who abetted the

Pakistani occupation forces.

Earlier, referring to the Skype conversation, Hossain in his 40-minute argument said the formal charges against the war crimes accused were imported.

A Bangla daily published the alleged Skype conversation between Justice Md Nizamul Huq and expatriate legal expert Ahmed Ziauddin. Soon after the controversy came to light, Justice Huq had resigned from Tribunal-1.

Hossain said Jamaat was a legal political party in Bangladesh, but the charges described it as an auxiliary force as a whole.

He termed Ziauddin a scapegoat of the incident saying he was not more learned than Justice Huq.

"There is some machinery behind him [Ziauddin] to make it [trial] controversial. They should be tried and punished,” he said.

He also said Justice Huq had resigned “being driven

by conscience”. Hossain asked the tribunal to reinitiate the trial to uphold its image at home and abroad.

The attorney general refuted Hossain's claim and said Justice Huq did not resign being driven by conscience and that the former chairman was able to take assistance according to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.

He reiterated that the formal charges are absolutely different from the copy mailed by Ziauddin.

Following their submission, prosecutor Syed Haidar Ali and defence counsel Mizanul Islam placed their arguments.

The three-member tribunal headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir with mem-bers Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Anwarul Haque recorded their submission.

The proceeding will resume today.