Minister Qamrul seeks unconditional apology

Food Minister Qamrul Islam on Monday sought unconditional apology for his remarks on the appeal hearing of death-row war criminal Mir Quasem Ali.

The minister, now in Malaysia to attend a conference, sought the apology before the apex court through his lawyer advocate Syed Mamun Mahbub.

The Food Minister also filed a petition with the Supreme Court urging to reschedule the contempt rule’s hearing date to any day after March 19 as he is abroad now.

Earlier, on March 8, the Supreme Court summoned Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq to appear before it on March 15 for their reactions to reported remarks of Chief Justice SK Sinha about prosecution as regards the trial of Jamaat leader Mir Quasem Ali.

Ministers Qamrul Islam and Mozammel Huq demanded resignation of the Chief Justice for his reported remarks that “the prosecution is doing politics with the trial of condemned war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali.”

The two ministers made the demands at a roundtable discussion organised by Ekatorrer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee in the city on March 5.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam on March 6 urged all to exercise restraint in making comments on such issues as those are ‘unconstitutional’.

Earlier, on February 23, during the hearing of arguments on Mir Quasem Ali’s death row review petition, the Chief Justice purportedly expressed dissatisfaction over the activities of the prosecution and the investigation agency.

Meanwhile, advocate Baset Majumder, lawyer of Liberation War Affairs Minister Mozammel Huq, on Monday said they would also submit a time petition to the court.

With inputs from UNB