Government bans major Islamist party

Following the student protests and the harsh repression that cost the lives of more than 200 people, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student movement terrorist organisations, branding them as perpetrators of the violence. Forces inherited from those who fought on Pakistan’s side in the 1971 war of independence. The challenge of true unity for the good of the country.

Dhaka () – The country’s largest Islamist political party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, along with its student organisation, Islami Chhatrashibir, and all affiliated organisations, have been declared terrorist organisations by the Dhaka government. The measure – which comes after a Wave of protests over controversial quota lawwhich led to clashes that claimed the lives of 212 people – came in an order issued on 1 August by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009. Discussions on the ban had been ongoing for several days and culminated in the government’s decision following allegations of the groups’ involvement in destructive activities, including violence and vandalism during the student movement for quota reform.

Jamaat was an ally of the invading Pakistani forces during the 1971 liberation war. After independence, the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina) banned the party for religious abuse, opposition to independence and involvement in genocide. However, in 1979, Ziaur Rahman’s government restored the political rights of the party, which allied itself with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the largest opposition group today.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, president of Bangladesh Awami League, said that after the ban, Jamaat “will go underground and try to destroy the nation,” stressing that they should be treated as militant organisations. “We all must fight against them and protect our people,” she added, “There will be no safe haven for militants on Bangladeshi soil.”

The prime minister also promised that the violence linked to the quota reform movement would be thoroughly investigated and those responsible brought to justice. “I want everything to be investigated. Who is behind it, how it happened and what happened. That is why I have asked the United Nations to send its experts. If other countries want, they can also send experts. Because I want these incidents to be properly investigated and action taken against those responsible.” Sheikh Hasina particularly lashed out at the case of a policeman who was killed in the protests and whose body was displayed hanging by protesters: “What kind of movement is it to kill and hang people? And once the demands of the students have been accepted, what is the reason to continue the movement?”

Christian freedom fighters have expressed their support for the ban on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. “This decision guarantees the safety of the people of Bangladesh and the property of this country,” Robert RN Das, a Christian freedom fighter from Dinajpur, told . For its part, the Sector Commanders’ Forum – a body that has played a key role in the formation of Bangladesh’s armed forces for more than 50 years – stressed that the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and its student organisation is not the final step. They believe that joint efforts by the government, mass organisations and society are necessary to lead the country in a healthy, democratic and progressive manner, in line with the ideals of the liberation war.