The ban on the radical group Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its student wing, Chhatra Shibir has been lifted by Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
The Sheikh Hasina government which ruled over Bangladesh through Awami League-led 14-party coalition until 5 August, had imposed the ban a few weeks ago.
It was alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami and its associated organisations were involved in hijacking the student protest against the Hasina government, which resulted in hundreds of deaths.
However, the Yunus government “did not find any definite link between terrorism and the Jamaat-E-Islami Bangladesh, its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and all other associate units of the organisation.”
“Therefore the government believes that the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Islami Chhatra Shibir and all other associate units of the Jamaat are not involved in acts of terrorism,” the Interior Ministry notification said.
The removal of the ban allows the organisation to re-enter Bangladesh’s political arena, enabling them to engage in the political dialogue surrounding the upcoming general elections.
“Bangladesh is made of Muslims, Hindu brothers and sisters, Buddhists and Christians and other smaller religious groups. I want to say clearly that we all constitute Bangladesh,” Emir of JeI Dr Shafiqur Rahman said.
JeI Bangladesh, originally an offshoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami founded on 26 August 1941, in Lahore, strongly supported the idea of an undivided Pakistan.
Following the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the party continued to advocate for this cause but now Rahman praised those who fought to free Bangladesh from the rule of Pakistan in 1971.
source : swarajyamag