Bangladeshi Interim Govt lifts ban on Jamaat-e-Islami

DHAKA, August 28 (SABAH): The interim government of Bangladesh lifted the ban on the country’s main Islamic Jamaat and its affiliated groups, saying that there was no evidence of Jamaat-e-Islami’s involvement in terrorist activities.

According to the report of the British news agency, the government of Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid banned Jamaat-e-Islami under an anti-terrorism law as it was accused of inciting violence, which later turned into violent protests and then a coup, forcing Hasina Wajid to resign on August 5 and flee to India. After Wajid resigned and fled the country, the interim government that was installed in his place issued a notification yesterday.

According to the notification issued by the interim government of Bangladesh, there is no specific evidence of involvement of Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates in terrorist activities. The allegations have been denied, while the Jamaat-e-Islami has condemned the ban decision as unconstitutional and illegal, calling it extrajudicial. The court ruled that the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party was inconsistent with the secular constitution of Bangladesh.

The party’s lawyer Shashir Munir said that he will file an application in the Supreme Court early next week for the restoration of his registration. It should be noted that Bangladesh’s former law minister Aneesul Haque had said that the Bangladeshi government on August 1, 2024 had issued a circular under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009 banning all political activities of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing.