Bangladesh indicts Islamic leaders for war crimes

The chief of Bangladesh's largest Islamic party and one of his deputies have been indicted for alleged crimes against humanity in the 1971 independence war against Pakistan. A tribunal on Sunday indicted Matiur Rahman Nizami, the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, on 16 charges, including murder and genocide. Another tribunal indicted Abdul Quader Molla, a deputy of Nizami, for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity. The party says the charges are politically motivated, but authorities deny the claim. Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a nine-month war. Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed some 3 million people, raped about 200,000 women and forced millions to flee their homes during the war.