Quasem to get maximum 7 days for mercy plea: IG prisons

Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin today said that maximum seven days will be given to the death row war criminal Mir Quasem Ali to file a mercy petition.

"He (Quasem) will be given reasonable time to file a mercy petition, but that will not be more than seven days," he said in response to a query while talking to reporters at Prisons Headquarters in Dhaka this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Quasem's wife Khandokar Ayesha Khatun said her husband will not take any decision on presidential clemency until the return of his son Barrister Ahmed Bin Quasem, who was allegedly picked up by some unidentified persons 22 days back.

She was talking to reporters after meeting her husband at Kashimpur Jail-2 in Gazipur.

The family members met Quasem after the authorities of Kashimpur Jail read out the verdict to him around 7:30am.

The IG prisons further said that they got the copy of the verdict last night and immediately sent it to the Kashimpur Central Jail authorities.

About the place of execution, he said, "He [Quasem] is now in Kashimpur Jail and we will take a decision in this regard at the final stage consulting with all stakeholders."

He also said, "The prisons authorities are always ready to perform its duties. So there is no need to take preparation separately for it [Execution]."

The family members will get a chance to meet Quasem for the last time before execution, he added.

Earlier, five war criminals were executed at Dhaka Central Jail that was recently shifted to Keraniganj from the old part of Dhaka city.