The International Crimes Tribunal-1 will pronounce  Thursday the judgment on the 1971 war crimes faced by fugitive accused local BNP leader Zahid Hossain Khokon, also a mayor of Nagarkanda municipality, Faridpur.

Keeping the verdict pending for seven months, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the three-member tribunal, passed the order on Wednesday.

On April 17, the tribunal kept the verdict pending to be delivered any day after closing legal arguments from both sides over the war crimes case.

The tribunal on October 9, 2013 indicted Zahid Hossain alias Khokon Razakar in absentia for his involvement in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War, dismissing the discharge plea moved by the state-appointed defence counsel.

Septuagenarian Khokon, also Nagarkanda upazila BNP vice-president, faced 11 counts of war crimes charges like loot, arson, repression, forcible conversion to Islam, shooting to death, rape, killing and mass killing in his area during the Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistan occupation army.

According to the investigation agency, Khokon, a close associate of fugitive Maulana Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar, a condemned war crimes convict from Faridpur, had taken part in an election campaign for a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate in 1970, and was involved with the party. Later, he joined BNP.

On June 23, 2013, the prosecution submitted to the tribunal formal war crimes charges against the incumbent Nagarkanda municipality mayor and produced 24 prosecution witnesses to prove the charges made against the accused.

Advocate Mukhlesur Rahman Badal conducted the case for the prosecution while A Shukur Khan for the fugitive accused as state defence counsel.