Order to execute Mir Quasem reaches Kashimpur jail
Gazipur: The Home Ministry’s executive order to execute war crimes convict Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali reached Kashimpur central jail in Gazipur on Saturday.
Jail Super Nasir Uddin confirmed this to NTV Online.
Earlier, Family members of Mir Quasem Ali, who is in death row, met him at the Kashimpur jail ‘for the last time’.
Around forty-five members entered the jail premises at about 3:30pm. Thirty-eight of them were allowed to meet Quasem and they came out of the jail at about 6:40pm.
Earlier today, jail authorities asked Mir Quasem’s family to meet him.
Mir Quasem informed to the prison authorities his decision not to seek presidential mercy on Friday.
On Thursday, he sought further time to decide whether he will seek mercy, upon being asked by the Kashimpur jail authorities.
Earlier, his six family members met him at the jail on Wednesday.
While talking to reporters, Quasem's wife Khandaker Ayesha Khatun said her husband wants to wait until the last minute to decide whether he will seek clemency, and before that he wants to see his son Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem who has remained missing for the past couple of days.
He will decide about the mercy plea after talking to his son, she added.
Earlier in the day, Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin said Mir Quasem Ali will get reasonable time for seeking presidential clemency.
The copy of the Supreme Court verdict rejecting the review plea of Mir Quasem reached Kashimpur Jail from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj at about 12:45am on Wednesday.
Jail super Proshanto Kumar Banik of the jail read out the SC verdict to Mir Quasem.
The top court on Tuesday upheld the death penalty for Quasem for the crimes he committed against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
On 19 June, Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, son of Mir Quasem, filed the 68-page review petition with the Appellate Division against the death penalty handed down to him for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) issued death warrant for Mir Quasem hours after the apex court released the full text of its verdict upholding his death penalty on 6 June.
On 8 March, the Appellate Division upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali for his war crimes.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Mir Quasem Ali, Al-Badr chief in the port city of Chittagong in 1971, to death on 2 November 2014.
On 30 November 2014, he filed an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the death penalty.
Top Jamaat-e-Islami financier Quasem, now 64, was president of the Chittagong town unit of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat, till 6 November 1971.
He was then made general secretary of the East Pakistan Chhatra Sangha.