A former minister was sentenced to life in prison in Bangladesh on Wednesday for crimes committed during the country\'s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. Abdul Alim, of the now-opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was sentenced by a special war crimes tribunal investigating allegations against current and former politicians of collaborating With Pakistani forces during the nine-month war, reported DPA. Alim, 83, was convicted of genocide, looting, arson and other crimes against humanity during the war. Alim deserved the death penalty, but the court sentenced him to life after considering his age and poor health, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said.