[16] These militias opposed the Mukti Bahini who fought for the independence of Bangladesh and also stand accused of war crimes.

[15][17][18][19] Azam's citizenship was cancelled by the Bangladeshi Government because of playing an opposition role during the Bangladesh liberation war.

[28] Sheikh Ghulam Azam was born on 7 November 1922 in his maternal home, the Shah Saheb Bari of Lakshmibazar, Dacca, Bengal Presidency.

As a General Secretary of the DUCSU, Azam in 1947 submitted a memorandum on the union's behalf to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan, demanding that Bengali be made a state language along with Urdu.

[23] In 1964, the government of Ayub Khan banned Jamaat-e-Islami and its leaders, including Azam, and imprisoned them for eight months without trials.

He and other opposition leaders including future President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took part in the Round Table Conference held in Rawalpindi in 1969 to solve the prevailing political impasse in Pakistan.

They were also in charge of confiscating and redistribution of shops and lands from Hindu and pro-independence Bengali activists, mainly relatives and friends of Mukti Bahini fighters.

[16] The first recruits included 96 Jamaat party members, who started training in an Ansar camp at Shahjahan Ali Road, Khulna.

[43][44] During Azam's leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, Ashraf Hossain, a leader of Jamaat's student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, created the Al-Badr militia in Jamalpur district on 22 April 1971.

[45] On 12 April 1971, Azam and Matiur Rahman Nizami led demonstrations denouncing the independence movement as an Indian conspiracy.

[46] Azam denies the association between the Peace Committee and the Razakar militia as they were formed by the government and headed by Pakistani army general Tikka Khan.

[48] On 12 August 1971, Azam declared in a statement published in the Daily Sangram that "the supporters of the so-called Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".

Azam was also alleged as the prime standard-bearer who presented the blueprint of the killing of the intellectuals during a meeting with Rao Farman Ali in early September 1971.

[49] On 12 August 1971, Azam declared in a statement published in the Daily Sangram that "the supporters of the Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".

In 1977, Zia removed secularism in the constitution, replacing it with Islamic ideals, further clearing the way for Jamaat-e-Islami to return to political participation.

[21][22] His stay was however unwelcome in Bangladesh and he was beaten by an angry mob at the footsteps of the Baitul Mukarram mosque while attending a funeral in 1981.

[58] In 1994, he fought a lengthy legal battle which resulted in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruling in his favor and restoring his nationality.

According to The Daily Star, Azam was allowed to remain in a hospital prison cell despite being declared fit for trial by a medical team on 15 January.

[64][65] Azam's wife complained that he had been denied proper family visits and access to books, saying that this amounted to "mental torture".

[62] On 25 February 2012, The Daily Star further reported that Azam's nephew was denied a visit shortly before he was about to enter hospital prison.

[67] During the trial, former advisor to the Caretaker government of Bangladesh, human rights activist and witness for the prosecution Sultanaa Kamal said- "In brutality, Ghulam Azam is synonymous with German ruler Hitler who had influential role in implementation and execution of genocide and ethnic cleansing".

The International Union of Muslim Scholars, chaired by Yusuf al-Qaradawi called the arrest "disgraceful", and called on the Bangladesh government to release him immediately, stating that "the charge of Professor Ghulam Azam and his fellow scholars and Islamic activists of committing war crimes more than forty years ago is irrational and cannot be accepted".

The accused was never present in any account of atrocities and the main allegation against the accused is superior responsibility and that he was the chief of the East Pakistan unit of Jamaat - e - Islami during the 1971 Liberation War and the para-militia forces like Al-Badr and Al-Shams were formed with a large number of Jamaat members.” The judge also added: “The documents which the prosecution has submitted as evidence were not adequate.

[75] The Daily Amardesh reported that the evidence presented before the court against Ghulam Azam consisted of newspaper clippings published during 1971.

"[76][77] Ghulam Azam died after suffering a stroke on 23 October 2014 at 10:10 PM at BSMMU while serving jail sentences for crimes against humanity during Bangladesh Liberation War.

[82] In 2022, it was revealed by an investigative report by Netra News that he was detained at secret prison called Aynaghar, run by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence.