Staff Reporter :War crimes convict Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has filed a petition with the Supreme Court for deposition by eight witnesses, including five Pakistanis, during the hearing of review of his death sentence.The BNP leader’s lawyers submitted the petition with the Appellate Division of the apex court on Monday morning. Huzzatul Islam, a lawyer of the convict, confirmed the matter. He said that they sought the court’s order to summon the eight witnesses for deposition.The five Pakistani citizens are: Mohammad Mian Soomroo, former head of caretaker government of that country, Ishak Khan Khakwani, a former minister, Amber Haroon Saigol, chairman of Dawn Group, Munib Arjamand Khan, an architect and Riaz Ahmed Noon, grandson of Viqarunnisa Noon.The three others are M Osman Siddique, former ambassador of the USA to Fiji who now lives in the US, Shamim Hasnain, a High Court judge of Bangladesh, and his mother Zinnat Ara Begum. Confirming the names, Huzzatul Islam said that the petition would be placed before the chamber judge of the Supreme Court on Tuesday (today) for fixing a date for hearing.Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that they would file two petitions before the chamber judge for fixing the date for early hearing of the review petitions filed by BNP standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.He, however, said that filing of such petition by Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for witnesses’ deposition at the review stage is unprecedented. The apex court may hear the review petitions after it reopens on November 1, as the apex court is now on vacation. However, the court could hold the hearing during the vacation if it wishes. Salauddin Quader and Mojaheed filed their review petitions with the Supreme Court on October 14, only a day left for the deadline. Claiming innocence, they sought acquittal on all the charges brought against them.The Supreme Court on September 30 released its full verdicts that upheld the death penalty of the two convicts. The International Crimes Tribunal, where the two leaders were tried for their crimes during the Liberation War in 1971, issued death warrant against the duo on October 1.The SC upheld the capital punishment of the two convicts on July 29 and June 16 this year after hearing their appeals against the verdicts of the International Crimes Tribunals. Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association and principal counsel of the two convicts, said that his clients have been convicted on the basis of false and fabricated statements. If the statements are properly examined, their death penalty will not be upheld. About the petition for deposition of Pakistan citizens, he said that Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was living in Pakistan from March 29, 1971 to April 1974, when the offences, for which he was convicted, took place. He also said that the five prominent Pakistani citizens’ evidence would exonerate the BNP leader if the court allows them to testify.The Pakistani nationals in a foreign media last week expressed their wishes to come to Bangladesh to testify if the court allows it. They earlier drafted sworn affidavits, which were submitted to the court, but both the Tribunal and the Appellate Division ruled them inadmissible.During trial of the BNP leader at the war crimes tribunal, the defence’s list of witnesses included Beximco Group Vice Chairman Salman F Rahman and Justice Shamim Hasnain. Both of them, however, did not testify. The defence then had produced three witnesses-former diplomat Adbul Momen, Nizam Ahmed, who had studied in college and university with the BNP leader, and Asia Pacific University’s Trustee Board member Qayum Reza Chowdhury, a cousin of the war crimes convict.
