Bangladesh to ban Jamaat-e-Islami, its students’ wing after violent protests
The Bangladesh government has decided to ban the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir, through an executive order expected on Wednesday. The decision by the government comes after Bangladesh was rocked by protests, which are said to have been hijacked by radical Islamists, resulting in large-scale deaths.
The decision to ban the Jamaat-e-Islami and its Chhatrashibir was taken by the 14-party ruling alliance led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. Bangladesh Law Minister Anisul Haq told journalists that the ban on the Jamaat would be implemented through an executive order.
Jamaat leaders criticised the ban and called it “illegal, extrajudicial and unconstitutional”.
The Election Commission of Bangladesh had already deregistered the Jamaat, a radical right-wing party, after a High Court decision in 2018.
The law minister said discussions would be held on Wednesday with the home minister to finalise the process for implementing the ban, several Dhaka-based media outlets, including The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, reported on Tuesday.
BANGLADESH TAKES STEPS TOWARDS NORMALCY
The decision to ban the Jamaat comes as Bangladesh takes small steps towards normalcy after violence during students’ protests killed around 200 people.
The government said that public and private offices would function normally from Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also announced that her government would be taking foreign technical assistance for a judicial probe committee, investigating the deaths during the quota agitation, The Daily Star reported on Tuesday.
She said it was to ensure “a thorough and standard inquiry”.
Amid this came the announcement of the ban on Jamaat and its students wing.
“For the sake of the country, the 14-party alliance has decided to ban Jamaat-Shibir to eliminate anti-national evil forces,” Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said after a meeting of the alliance parties.
The meeting took place at Sheikh Hasina’s official residence, Gono Bhaban, on Monday evening.
HOW ISLAMISTS HIJACKED STUDENTS’ PROTESTS
Some Dhaka-based experts had told IndiaToday.In that the quota protest had taken a violent turn as it had been “hijacked by Islamists”.
They said radical Islamists of Jamaat and its Chhatrashibir infiltrated the ranks of protesting students and turned it into a battle against the government.
“It has now become an agitation of Jamaat and other Islamist fundamentalist groups. In a crowd of about 1,000, only three-four students are present,” senior Dhaka-based journalist Swadesh Roy told IndiaToday.In earlier.
“Most students have realised that and withdrawn from the agitation,” he added in the phone call on July 21, when the Bangladesh government disconnected internet services.
People critical of Sheikh Hasina’s regime have, however, held that the protests, which saw the participation of most political forces, were an organic protest against the government.
Experts say that since its 2018 ban, the Jamaat has been looking at agitations like the quota protests as oxygen to survive.
Despite losing its poll registration, Jamaat continued with its political activities as one of the allies of the main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Jamaat on Tuesday called the move to ban it “illegal” and said it was part of a well-laid-out plan to crack down against opposition parties.
“The government has been lying since the beginning to avoid the responsibility of its misdeeds. Using state machineries, they are playing a blame game against Jamaat and other opposition parties,” Jamaat-e-Islami tweeted from its official X handle.
The Jamaat-e-Islami’s role in the 1971 Liberation War has been tainted with several judgments by war crimes tribunals holding its leaders of playing a key role in the atrocities against Bengalis by siding with the Pakistani army and its militia.
