Wife says she will meet war criminal Mir Quasem again to make final decisions

After meeting Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali in prison, his wife Khandker Ayesha Khatun says she will go and see her husband again to make the 'final decisions' before his hanging.

The former Al-Badr commander of 1971 is spending what appears to be his last days in a condemned cell at Central Jail-2 at Gazipur's Kashimpur.

Ayesha, her two daughters Sumaiya Rabeya and Tahera Tasnim, daughters-in-law Shaheda Tahmida and Tahmina Aktar, nephew Hasan Jamal and four grandchildren went there to meet Mir Quasem on Wednesday afternoon.

They came out around 4pm after spending nearly two hours inside.

Outside the jail, Ayesha told reporters, "This was not our last meeting. How will the final steps be taken? I came to discuss how we will take care of the tasks ahead of us."

The Appellate Division on Tuesday dismissed Mir Quasem's petition to review the death sentence for 1971 his war crimes, leaving the Jamaat financier with his last option to avoid the hangman's noose – seeking the president’s mercy.

Prison officials have said the 63-year old war criminal sought time to decide on whether he would file a petition to seek presidential clemency by repenting for his crimes.

Mir Ahmed bin Quashem

The wife said Mir Quasem wanted to discuss the matter with his son Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, a lawyer by profession, who the family claim is currently missing.  Ahmed was in his father's defence team.

The family alleged that he had been picked up by plainclothesmen from his Mirpur home earlier this month, but police say they have no information on his detention.

Ayesha said on Wednesday, "My son has been missing for 22 days. Plainclothesmen took him away from home. We still don't know anything about his whereabouts."

"We want our son back before deciding or even talking about any issues related to Mir Quasem Ali. Our son is a lawyer; we need his advice on this the most. We'll decide after I get my son back."

Asked what Mir Quasem said about filing a mercy plea, she said he will make the decision after discussing the matter with their 'missing son' and other members of the family. "We are waiting to find our son."

"But it will be a different matter if the deadline (to file mercy plea) ends. But we want to wait until there is time," Ayesha said, responding to another question from the press.

'Reasonable time for mercy petition'

Inspector General Prisons Brig Gen Iftekhar Uddin on Wednesday said Mir Quasem will be given a 'reasonable amount of time' to seek presidential pardon.

The authorities were yet to decide where the senior Jamaat leader will be hanged, he told the media.

He said the family's audience with Mir Quasem was a regular one and that they will be allowed another meet before the execution.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said on Tuesday that the war criminal will get seven days to file the mercy petition in line with the jail code.

Kashimpur prison's Jailer Nasir Uddin told reporters that they would notify the high officials that Mir Quasem was seeking time to arrive at a decision on the issue.