Bangladesh to Ban Jamaat-e-Islami for Exploiting Student Protests

Photo : AP

The Bangladesh government has announced a ban on the fundamentalist party Jamaat-e-Islami in response to the party's alleged exploitation of a student movement that resulted in over 150 deaths. This decision was made on Tuesday following a resolution passed by the ruling Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League-led 14-party alliance.

The decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami, effective Wednesday, comes in the wake of violent nationwide protests that erupted over quotas in government jobs. The demonstrations, which began in universities and colleges, quickly escalated into widespread unrest against Prime Minister Hasina’s administration. The violence led to significant casualties and damage to government property, prompting the government to deploy the army to restore order.

Law Minister Anisul Huq announced that the ban would be implemented through an executive order. He highlighted that Jamaat-e-Islami, along with its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was implicated in the violence. The government claims that these groups used the student protests as a cover to incite and perpetrate violence, though the student protesters themselves denied any connection to the unrest.

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The Awami League’s general secretary, Obaidul Quader, emphasized that the government intends to scrutinize the legal aspects of the ban to prevent any potential loopholes that could allow Jamaat-e-Islami to continue its activities. He described the ban as necessary to eliminate what he termed "anti-national" elements from Bangladesh's political landscape.

The resolution to ban Jamaat-e-Islami was adopted after extensive discussions among the 14-party alliance, which also includes various smaller parties. The alliance aims to address the perceived threat posed by Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates, who have a history of opposition to Bangladesh’s independence and collaboration with the Pakistani regime during the 1971 Liberation War.

Jamaat-e-Islami's registration was previously invalidated by the High Court in 2013, but the party continued to be a significant political player until the Election Commission officially disqualified it in 2018. The party's leaders have been implicated in war crimes trials for their roles during the independence war, with several top figures sentenced to death.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration has faced significant criticism and unrest due to the handling of the protests, with allegations that Jamaat and BNP used students as “shields” to further their political agendas. The ruling party and its allies are focused on ensuring that Jamaat-e-Islami and similar groups are effectively excluded from the political process to maintain stability and support the government’s policies.