Dhaka –The Supreme Court on Tuesday night stayed the execution order of Abdul Quader Mollah until 10:30am Wednesday. Chamber Judge Syed Mahmud Hossain came up with the stay order following his counsel’s appeal.Mollah’s lawyers rushed to Justice Mahmud’s Kakrail residence in the evening with a stay petition for stopping his execution shortly after the government announced to hang the Jamaat leader at 12.01 am Wednesday.
Briefing reporters at his Minto Road residence earlier in the evening, State Minister for Home Shamsul Hoque Tuku said the death warrant against Mollah has already been issued and all the preparations have been taken for the execution of the apex court judgment sentencing him to capital punishment for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
All legal and procedural arrangements have been completed for the execution of the Supreme Court sentence, said State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam, adding that Mollah’s family members met him earlier in the day in the jail.
After the staying of the execution by the chamber judge Kader Mollah’s counsel Advocate Khandakar Mahbub Hossain told journalists that they would proceed with legal steps tomorrow.
He said that after the issuance of the stay order there was no legal basis for carrying out execution of Kader Mollah. Violation of the stay order would be tantamount to contempt of court, he said.
Earlier, Family members of Abdul Quader Mollah of Jamaat-e-Islami visited him at the condemned cell of Dhaka Central jail on Tuesday night, hours before his execution.
Condemned prisoner Abdul Quader Mollah, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e Islami, was to be hanged at 12.01 am Wednesday.
Earlier, in the evening, prison authorities informed the family members to meet Quader Mollah on Tuesday at about 8:00 pm.
Later, a-23 member family, including son Hasan Jamil and wife Sanowara Begum, went to the jail gate at about 7:55 pm and met Mollah in the condemned cell by turn.
Emerging from the jail after visiting his father, Hasan Jamil said his father was going to be hanged ‘unethically’ as he has been involved in Islamic movement. He termed the execution move a political killing plan.
The city was put under a security blanket to avert any unpleasant incident over the execution of Quader Mollah. The law enforcing agencies, including members Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), were put on red alert across the country to avert any unpleasant incident. State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku said that law enforcing agencies had been asked to remain on red alert so that no one could commit any subversive act across the country centering the execution of Quader Mollah. “The law enforcing agencies will foil any attempt with an iron hand,” he said.
A senior police officer said security had been beefed up in the city in view of the opposition-sponsored countrywide blocked programme. “Now we’ve brought the capital city under security blanket with extra precautionary measures,” said the police official requesting anonymity. Besides, police and RAB were asked to set up check-posts at all entry and exit points in and around the capital as part of foolproof security measures. – UNB
