Mercy petition: Mir Quasem Ali asks prison officials for more time to decide

Death-row war criminal Mir Quasem Ali has sought more time from the prison authorities to make the final decision on filing a petition for presidential clemency.

Gazipur Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 Sept 2016, 07:59 AM
Updated : 1 Sept 2016, 08:25 AM

Prashanta Kumar Banik, Superintendent of Central Jail-2 at Gazipur's Kashimpur, told bdnews24.com that they asked the Jamaat-e-Islami leader to know about this decision on Thursday morning for the second time.
 
"Mir Quasem Ali wants a bit more time to decide about the mercy petition. He said he will think more and let us know his decision."
 
On Wednesday, he had sought time to settle on the matter after prison officials read out to him the Appellate Division verdict that rejected his plea to review the death sentence on him for committing atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War.
 
However, after visiting Kashimpur prison later that night, IG Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin told reporters that Mir Quasem will be given a 'reasonable amount of time' to make the decision.
 
Kashimpur prison's Jailer Nasir Uddin said in case the former Al-Badr militia commander does not seek pardon from the president, they are prepared to carry out his execution odrer.
 
After losing his last legal battle at the top appeals court on Tuesday, Mir Quasem now can only seek presidential clemency by repenting for his crimes to dodge the hangman's noose.
 
The government will start the process to execute the death sentence if he does not seek mercy or the president rejects his petition.
 
The Jamaat financier is currently in a condemned cell in Kashimpur prison, where his family members went on Wednesday to meet him.
 
After seeing him, Mir Quasem's wife Khandker Ayesha Khatun told reporters that they will make a decision about his mercy petition when their son Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem who had been 'detained by police' last month returns home.
 
Ahmed was in his war criminal's father's defence team. Ayesha said they needed to consult with him before deciding on the mercy petition.
 
Since his arrest, Mir Quasem has been kept at Kashimpur jail. He was given a division cell at first, but after the ICT sentenced him to death in November 2014, the 63-year old was transferred to the condemned cell.
 
Meanwhile, the security in and around the prison has been beefed up since Wednesday.
 
Apart from the prison's regular security personnel, additional police forces and detectives in plainclothes were seen deployed there.
 
Security check-posts have been set up on the road towards the jail gate. Top officials have also conducted inspections.
 
However, with Mir Quasem still yet to decide on the mercy plea, the government has not determined where he will be hanged.