Law Minister Anisul Huq says he has told authorities at Dhaka Central Jail to prepare for war criminal Mohammad Kamaruzzaman's execution, report agencies.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leader will, however, get the time to seek pardon from the president, he told reporters at a press briefing Wednesday evening.
On Monday, death sentence for Kamaruzzaman was upheld by the Supreme Court in the final judgment of his appeal against the verdict ordered by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 last year.
Meanwhile, family members of condemned war criminal M Kamaruzzaman met him at Dhaka Central Jail Wednesday morning, triggering a speculation that he might be hanged anytime soon.
Forman Ali, senior jail super of the central jail, however, said they came to the jail to meet Kamaruzzaman as per their petition filed earlier and the jail authorities did not inform them to meet him.
Forman Ali said that 10 members of Kamaruzzaman's family, including wife, sons and daughter, entered the jail around 10:38am, spent some time with him and got out of it around 11:08am.
Earlier on Tuesday, M Kamaruzzaman was shifted to the central jail from Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur.
Speculations mounted all over about the hanging of the condemned war criminal following his family members meeting with him.
Jail authorities usually urge the family members of any convict on death row to meet him or her before the execution. "There's no possibility of execution of Kamaruzzaman as the jail authorities are yet to invite his family members to have their last meeting with him," a sources at the central jail said wishing anonymity.
Forman Ali said they did not receive the death warrant paper from the court against Kamaruzzaman as of 6pm Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Kamaruzzaman's son Hasan Iqbal said he found his father normal, healthy and strong.
Talking to reporters after meeting his father at the central jail, Iqbal said "I never saw such a man of strong mentality like my father. My father's death will be for his ideology. We urge people to pray for him," he added.
He also said his father urged the country's people to stay calm.
Asked whether his father will seek presidential clemency, Iqbal said Kamaruzzaman will decide about it after reviewing the verdict. "It's purely his personal matter."
