Jamaat's fund provider
One of the Al Badr leaders in 1971 and founder president of Islami Chhatra Shibir Mir Kasem Ali is known to be the main fund provider of Jamaat-e-Islami. He has been working since 1977 to establish Jamaat on strong financial footing.
It is said that once President Ziaur Rahman established multi-party democracy in the country, Mir Kasem Ali managed to arrange massive funds from the Saudi government, saying that thousands of Muslims has been killed and a large number of mosques and madrassas destroyed. He also mediated for other Islamic countries also to provide funds to various NGOs.
It was in 1983 during the Ershad government that Mir Kasem established himself firmly in business by setting up Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL). He is the bank's founder vice chairman. After that his businesses flourished in various sectors -- health, transport, telecommunications, media and education. He received support by all the governments.
Shahriar Kabir, acting president of the anti-collaborator Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, yesterday told Prothom Alo, "Mir Kasem is the fund provider of Jamaat. He brought in massive funds from the Saudi government by feeding them false information. Since then all governments have given him support. Even in 2010 the government allowed him to travel abroad with the Commercially Important Persons (CIP) status."
According to information found in the Registrar for Joint Stock Companies (RJSC) records, Mir Kasem has invested in companies which are closely connected to the everyday lives of the people. He is also the founder of the Islamic Bank Foundation. He is one of the main members of Ibne Sinha Trust. Ibne Sinha Pharmaceuticals, Ibne Sinha Diagnostic Centre, Islami Bank Hospital, Islami Bank Community Hospital, etc, are all under this trust.
Diganta Media Corporation is also the brainchild of Mir Kasem. The daily Naya Diganta is the newspaper of this corporation. It also had Diganta TV channel, which was shutdown on 5 May 2013 for allegedly instigating Hefazat-e-Islam towards sabotage. The corporation also had registration for Diganta Radio and an English daily Asia Diganta but didn't start these up. Mir Kasem is also director of Diganta Paper Mills.
Mir Kasem Ali also has ten companies starting with the name 'Keari'. These are owned solely by Mir Kasem and his family members. These include Keari Limited, Keari Spring, Keari Shan, Keari Taj, Keari Colour Centre, Keari Jharna, Keari Poultry Hatchery and Process, Keari Tours and Services, Keari Real Estate and Keari Telecom Limited. Keari's head office is in Keari Plaza, Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi.
Mir Kasem is the sole owner of five luxury vessels from cruises from Teknaf to Saint Martin. These are Keari Cruise, Keari Dine, Keari Sindbad, Keari Karnaphuli and Keari Taranga. He is also the chairman of Eden Shipping Lines.
He is the founder chairman of Agro Industrial Trust (AIT), Bangladesh Cultural Centre and Fuad al Khatib Foundation. From 1980 he has been country director of the Saudi NGO Rabeta Alam al Islami. He is one of the main founders of Islami Bank School and College.
According to the documents submitted on behalf of the state of the International Crimes Tribunal, Mir Kasem was born on 31 December 1952 in the village Chala of Harirampur upazila, Manikganj. His father was Tayeb Ali, an employee of the Power Development Board. He was the second among Tayeb Ali's four sons. Mir Kasem's nickname is Pearu alias Mintu.
Due to his father's job, he lived in Chittagong from childhood. In 1970 while studying BA (Hons) at Chittagong Government he became president of Jamaat's student organisation Islami Chhatra Sangha. From 25 March to 6 November 1971, he was the president of Chittagong Chhatra Sangha.
During the liberation war, on 7 November he became the general secretary of East Pakistan Chhatra Sangha.
After independence, 1977 Chhatra Sangha was renamed Chhatra Shibir and began function in independent Bangladesh. Mir Kasem was the Chhatra Shibir founder president. From 1985 he has been shura member of Jamaat.
The documents also state that at Mir Kasem's directives the razakar force opened a prisoner camp at Dalim Hotel next to the Chittagong telegraph office. On 17 December 1971, the dead bodies of 350 prisoners were recovered from that camp. Mir Kasem was one of the proponents of the list of targetted intellectuals. He is said to have been the number three person in Al Badr leadership.
In March this year the police submitted a report to the International Crimes Tribunal listing 127 institutions in which Jamaat has involvement. These include Mir Kasem's companies too.
On 28 April 2013, law minister at the time Shafiq Ahmed said that Mir Kasem Ali had paid a US lobbyist firm 25 million dollars to create questions about the credibility of the trial of crimes against humanity. The government has a copy of the agreement between the lobbying company and Jamaat, as well as a copy of the payment receipt.