Clemency now only option for Mir Quasem: AG

The only option that remains now for condemned war criminal Mir Quasem Ali is to seek presidential clemency, observed Attorney General Mahbubey Alam while giving his reaction to the Supreme Court’s final verdict on Tuesday, reports the UNB.

 

The Jamaat leader will get reasonable time to seek presidential mercy for his life, said the AG after the SC rejected Mir Quasem Ali’s petition seeking a review of its earlier verdict that upheld his death sentence for the war crimes.

 

With the rejection of the review plea, there has remained no further legal bar for going through the process for execution of Mir Quasem Ali, said the top law officer expressing his satisfaction over the judgment.

 

He said the SC registrar will communicate with the jail authorities about the dismissal of Mir Quasem Ali’s review petition and the jail superintendent will inform him about the decision of the Appellate Division.

 

And then Mir Quasem Ali will be asked through the jail superintendent whether he would submit a mercy petition to the president, he said.

 

He, however, said the jail authorities will decide on the time frame that it will give to Mir Quasem Ali as his last constitutional entitlement for seeking presidential reprieve.

 

If he wishes to file a petition for presidential reprieve, the jail authorities will wait until his mercy petition is disposed of by the president, the AG explained.

 

The government will set a date for executing Mir Quasem Ali soon after the president disposes of the mercy petition or Mir Quasem Ali’s denial to seek the presidential mercy.