Mir Quasem shifted to Dhaka jail

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali was shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur jail in Gazipur yesterday, a day after a special tribunal fixed Sunday for delivering judgment in the war crimes case against him.

Quasem was taken to Dhaka Central Jail around 2:30pm, said Farman Ali, senior jail super of the prison.

On Thursday, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 set the date for delivering the long-awaited verdict, six months after the conclusion of his trial procedures.

Quasem, the alleged chief of infamous Chittagong Al-Badr Bahini, an auxiliary force of Pakistani army, faces 14 charges, including murder committed in the city between November and December 16, 1971.

The prosecution sought capital punishment for Mir Quasem, a member of Jamaat's central executive council and also considered as one of the top financiers of the party, claiming that they had been able to prove 12 out of 14 charges. The defence sought his acquittal saying the prosecution couldn't prove any charges.

If convicted, the 62-year-old may face death penalty.

On May 4, the Tribunal-2 concluded the hearing of closing arguments in the case against Quasem and kept the verdict awaiting.