Staff Reporter :Jamaat-e Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali, convicted for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971, on Wednesday sought time from the Kashimpur jail authorities to take decision whether he will apply for presidential clemency. Jail super Proshanto Kumar Banik of Kashimpur jail read out the Supreme Court’s verdict to Mir Quasem Ali, rejecting his petition for review of its earlier judgment giving him death penalty for his wartime crimes.Mir Quasem, after listening the verdict, said that he needed time from the jail authorities to decide on whether he would apply for presidential mercy, said the jail super.Proshanto Kumar Banik and Nashir Ahmed [jailor of jail-2] entered the condemned cell at around 7:30pm with a copy of the full text of the verdict where Mir Quasem Ali has been kept. The copy of the SC verdict rejecting the review plea of Mir Quasem Ali reached the Central Jail around 9.10pm on Tuesday. Earlier on the day, after the SC released the full text of the verdict, it was sent to the International Crimes Tribunal.Meanwhile, Khandaker Ayesha Khatun, wife of Mir Quasem Ali, told the journalists that he [Quasem] will not take any decision about presidential clemency instead of knowing whereabouts of his “missing” son. She conveyed her husband’s desire to the journalists after meeting with Quasem at Kashimpur jail. Ayesha Khatun along with eight family members went to jail to see Quasem at 2:45 pm yesterday.”A group plain clothed people picked up my son Barrister Ahmed Bin Quasem from my house about 22 days ago. We need him for taking any sort of family decision. My husband will not give any decision about presidential, clemency without consulting my son. No family member can give such decision,” Khandaker Ayesha Khatun said. Apart from wife, Quasem’s two daughters Tahera Tasneem and Sumaiya Rabeya, two daughter-in-laws Shaheda Tahmida Akhter and Tahmina Akhter, nephew Hasan Jaman and three children were present there, said Jailor of part-2 Nasir Ahmed.Sources said if the convict decides to beg presidential pardon, then he’ll get seven days time for that, but if he decides not so, then arrangements will be made to carry out the sentence. In this situation, Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin said that prison authority will allow maximum seven days time to the death row inmate Mir Quasem Ali to file a mercy petition.”He [Quasem] will be given reasonable time but that is not more than seven days to file a mercy petition,” the IG of Prisons said in response to a quarry while talking to reporters at Prisons Headquarters in Dhaka yesterday. It is to be noted that, Mir Quasem was the president of Chittagong Chhatra Sangha’s unit. He was the general secretary of East Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha. Al-Badr was a paramilitary force composed of Jamaat-e-Islami’s, the then student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, to support Pakistan army and crackdown on pro liberation groups.The Supreme Court on August 30 upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali by rejecting a petition filed by him seeking a review of its earlier verdict that upheld his death sentence. Now the only option remains for Mir Quasem is to apply for presidential clemency. If that appeal is denied, then there will be no obstacle to carry out his sentence. Before the execution, the convict will get a chance to meet his family. A speculation is around that Mir Quasem is set to meet the same fate any moment as his five comrades-Jamaat leaders Abdul Quader Mollah, AHM Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Motiur Rahman Nizami and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
