On Wednesday, Bangladesh’s interim government made a significant decision by lifting the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist party in the country. This move comes in the wake of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s removal from office, a development that followed widespread protests and violent unrest.
Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5, had imposed the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, labeling the party as a “militant and terrorist” organization. She attributed the chaos surrounding a quota system for government jobs to the party’s student wing and affiliated bodies, according to the Associated Press (AP). The ensuing violent protests and Hasina’s crackdown led to over 600 deaths, as estimated by the United Nations.
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The Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision to lift the ban allows Jamaat-e-Islami to resume its activities, though the party must still register with the Election Commission to participate in future elections. Jamaat-e-Islami has been barred from elections since 2013, when its registration was revoked due to constitutional violations related to secularism, a decision upheld by the High Court.
Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh’s Law Affairs Adviser, has suggested that Hasina’s ban was politically motivated rather than ideologically driven. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Khaleda Zia, has accused Hasina’s administration of using the ban to divert attention from allegations of excessive force by security officials during the protests.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, faces the challenge of restoring political stability and order. This task is further complicated by recent flash floods that have devastated the eastern regions of Bangladesh, resulting in at least 27 deaths.
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Under Sheikh Hasina’s previous regime, known for its authoritarian tendencies, thousands of opposition leaders and activists were arrested in the lead-up to the January election, which secured Hasina a fourth consecutive term. Human rights groups accused her administration of using security forces and judicial systems to suppress opposition, a claim Hasina denies.
Jamaat-e-Islami, founded in 1941 during British colonial rule by a controversial Islamist scholar, opposed the creation of Bangladesh during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. In 2013, mass protests in Dhaka led to the execution or imprisonment of senior Jamaat-e-Islami leaders convicted of crimes against humanity related to the 1971 conflict, including killings and rapes. Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan on December 16, 1971, with significant support from India.
