India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has lifted a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Muslim political party. The ban, initially imposed under an anti-terrorism law during the final days of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration, was revoked by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday. The caretaker government issued a gazette notification stating that there was “no specific evidence of involvement of Jamaat” or its affiliates “in terrorist activities.”
The Jamaat-e-Islami party, which boasts millions of supporters, had been banned from contesting elections since 2013. The High Court had ruled that the party’s charter was in violation of Bangladesh’s secular constitution, resulting in its exclusion from the 2014, 2018, and 2024 elections. During these years, Sheikh Hasina secured her fifth term as Prime Minister in elections widely criticized for lacking credible opposition.
The ban on Jamaat-e-Islami was imposed on August 1, just days before Hasina was ousted from power following a wave of student-led protests against a controversial quota system for government jobs. Accused of fueling unrest during these protests, Jamaat-e-Islami had consistently denied the allegations, labeling the ban as “illegal, extrajudicial, and unconstitutional.”
Following the lifting of the ban, Jamaat-e-Islami has announced plans to petition the Supreme Court for the restoration of its registration with the Bangladesh Election Commission, aiming to participate in future elections. The party, founded in 1941 during British colonial rule, had opposed the creation of Bangladesh as an independent state during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Since 2013, many of its senior leaders have been convicted of crimes against humanity related to the 1971 conflict, with several being executed or imprisoned. Bangladesh eventually gained independence on December 16, 1971, with support from neighbouring India.
