Pakistan condemns Quasem’s execution

The external affairs ministry of the country in a statement released into six hours of Quasem’s execution offered the deepest condolences to the bereaved family. “Pakistan is deeply saddened over the execution of the prominent leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh, Mir Quasem Ali, for the alleged crimes committed before December 1971, through a flawed judicial process,” reads the foreign office statement. “The act of suppressing the Opposition, through flawed trials, is completely against the spirit of democracy. Ever since the beginning of the trials, several international organisations, human rights groups, and international legal figures have raised objections to the court proceedings, especially regarding fairness and transparency, as well as harassment of lawyers and witnesses representing the accused,” it said. Pakistan also called upon the Bangladeshi government to uphold its commitment, as per the Tripartite Agreement of 1974, wherein it was “decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency”. “Recriminations for political gains are counter-productive. Pakistan believes that matters should be addressed with a forward looking approach in the noble spirit of reconciliation,” the statement added. Pakistan had also expressed concern after the executions of other convicted war criminals of Jamaat. This fetched the country strong criticism from the Bangladesh government which termed Pakistan’s interference into Bangladesh’s internal affairs unsolicited.