Dhaka, Jun 13 (bdnews24.com)—The elder son of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Rafique-Bin-Sayeed, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital, doctors told bdnews24.com.

The hospital's Registrar, Dr Syed Daud Mohammad Taimur, said Sayeed, 43, died at around 4pm.

"He was rushed unconscious from the (first War Crimes) Tribunal." Rafiq ue was present at the court while his father's war crimes investigator was being cross-examined.

He said they tried to resuscitate him on life support.

Dr Taimur added Sayeed had previously suffered heart attacks.

He used to anchor a programme on private station NTV.

M Tajul Islam, a defence counsel, told bdnews24.com at the tribunal that Rafique had suffered a heart attack at the court during lunch recess soon after the proceedings came to a close.

Tajul, representing most of the top Jamaat leaders who said he had just arrived at the hospital, said he would apply for Sayedee's parole.

However, later the defence counsel said that the Ministry of Home Affairs had declined to give parole on Wednesday since it was past the business hours. "They have told us to go tomorrow at 9am. We will hopefully manage something then."

Rafique's janaaza has been scheduled for 5pm Thursday at the Motijheel Government Boys' High School playground. "We hope to have Mr Sayedee released on parole by then and bring him to the site."

There were no further details regarding the burial.

Jamaat's executive council member Sayedee was indicted on Oct 3, 2011 on 20 counts of war crimes including murder, rape, arson and loot during the nation's War of Independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Earlier at the International Crimes Tribunal-1, the defence team submitted a piece of paper to the tribunal. When the tribunal chief indicated he was not ready to entertain further requests from the defence, the senior counsel insisted that the judge read their submission.

The three-strong tribunal discussed among themselves briefly and then told the defence counsel that he could not entertain any request for an adjournment.

Mizanul Islam kept saying, "The matter is beyond our control. Just one day, my lord."

The tribunal did not continue the discussion in the courtroom, where Sayedee was present, any further and called Tajul Islam and prosecutor Syed Haider Ali to their chambers.

When asked, the defence team remained tight lipped about the matter. "We can't really say anything about that."

Tajul Islam then took bdnews24.com correspondent aside and said that the eldest son had suffered a heart attack. "His father does not know it yet. So we did not want to discuss it in the courtroom openly."

Sayeed had been present at the court along with two of his younger brothers, Masud and Nasim, on Wednesday.

The lawyers said there were no further orders from the tribunal, which was still ignorant about Sayeed's death. Neither Haider Ali nor Tajul Islam were forthcoming with any further orders.

Sayedee's mother passed away last October within less than month of the Jamaat leader's indictment.

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