The Bangladesh government on Wednesday lifted the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami party, which was imposed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during nationwide protests against her rule. The Hasina government had banned the party, calling it a “militant and terrorist” organization and blamed its student wing and other affiliated organizations for instigating agitation over the reservation system in government jobs.
According to UN estimates, more than 600 people were killed in violent protests and the Hasina government’s crackdown. The Home Ministry on Wednesday lifted the ban on the party, paving the way for it to resume its activities. To contest elections, it will have to register with the Election Commission.
There was no immediate reaction from the party leadership. Jamaat-e-Islami has been barred from participating in elections since 2013, when the commission cancelled its registration and the High Court upheld this decision. The court had said in its order that the party had violated the Constitution by opposing secularism.
Bangladesh Legal Advisor Asif Nazrul said that the ban by the Hasina government was politically motivated and not based on any ideology. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, general secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Hasina’s rival former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, also blamed the previous government for the ban.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)