Family members have met convicted war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman at the Dhaka Central Jail on Wednesday but do not believe it was their last meeting.
Ten members of his family turned up at the prison to meet him just before 10am.
After the jail authorities allowed them in, they spent about 30 minutes with Kamaruzzaman, who is on death row for 1971 war crimes.
Senior Jailor Farman Ali told bdnews24.com that the family members were with the war criminal from 10:38am to 11:08am. It was part of a routine visit, he said.
His wife Nurunnahar, four of his sons Hassan Iqbal, Ahmed Hassan, Hassan Imam and Ikram Hassan, daughter Afiya Nur, brothers Najibur Zaman and Abdullah Al Mahdi, sister Mohsina Begum and nephew Abdul Alim met the Jamaat leader.
His fourth son Hassan Imam was asked if it was their last meeting as he emerged from the prison after meeting his father.
“Why should this be the last meeting? We meet often. We used to do so when he was in Kashimpur Jail. We met during Eid. And now we have met again,” said Imam.
His father’s shifting to the Dhaka prison had made him apprehensive but Imam was not ready to believe that he was seeing his father for the last time. “We still have not got a copy of the verdict yet,” he said
Although, the family believes they will meet Kamaruzzaman yet again soon but words doing the rounds in Dhaka suggest that the Jamaat leader’s hanging is imminent.
The relatives of other convicts who came to the jail speculated if the execution would be carried out ‘today’ (Wednesday).
Kamaruzzaman’s third son Hassan Jaman is currently in Malaysia. Imam said his brother works there. “So he could not come. But he will be here soon to meet father.”
His eldest son, Hassan Iqbal said his father was in perfect health.
Iqbal described his father’s imminent hanging as ‘ideological’ and asked the people of the country to pray for his soul.
“My father is normal,” he said.
When asked if the convict will seek mercy from the president, his son said, “Father will think of it after review. It is his personal decision.”
Photo: tanvir ahammed/ bdnews24.com
Photo: tanvir ahammed/ bdnews24.com
According to the Jail Code, every death-row convict gets a chance to seek presidential pardon. After the final verdict on the case, the Jail Superintendent will brief the convict of the mercy provisions and will seek his decision on the issue.
The convict will have to take a decision within seven days.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday turned down Kamaruzzaman’s appeal against the ICT’s death sentence and upheld it.
Now the government has to implement the court order soonest.
“After getting the full verdict it will be sent to the district administrator. Prison authorities and the home ministry will execute the verdict within the next 30 days,” said tribunal Prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum on the day of the verdict.
Source: Bd news24