Bangladesh finally bans Jamaat, Shibir

The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a notification banning Jamaat-e-Islami and and its student front Islami Chhatra Shibir under Section 18(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, fulfilling a long-impending demand against the party that directly opposed Bangladesh‍‍`s independence.

This act allows the government to list and ban organizations if there are reasonable grounds to believe they are involved in terrorist activities.

On Wednesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal cited Jamaat’s “terrorism in the past, the demand to ban it by the 14-Party Alliance and the civil society, and the party’s link to violence during recent student protests for government job quota reforms” as the reasons behind the decision.

Law Minister Anisul Huq on Tuesday said that the government, though an executive order, is set to ban Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, in the country by Wednesday.

Earlier on Monday, the Awami League-led 14-party alliance unanimously recommended banning Jamaat-Shibir after a meeting at the Gonobhaban in the capital.

Second ban

This is the second ban on the party that opposed the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 and its members collaborated with the Pakistani army in the killings.

After Bangladesh’s independence, the government applied article 38 of the 1972 Constitution to ban Jamaat on grounds of the party’s misuse of religion for political purposes.

Since the central theme of Jamaat-e-Islami‍‍`s politics was religion, the party‍‍`s organisational existence effectively disappeared in independent Bangladesh.

However, the scenario began to change after assassination of Bangaabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

On May 3, 1976, President A.S.M. Sayem issued an ordinance that repealed the article 38 of the Constitution, lifting the ban on religion-based politics.

Jamaat-e-Islami did not immediately re-emerge under the name Jamaat-e-Islami. Instead, they opted for a different political party.

On August 24, 1976, Jamaat-e-Islami and several other religion-based parties formed a political platform named Islamic Democratic League (I.D.L.). Members of Jamaat-e-Islami joined this party and entered politics.

Under the banner of the Islamic Democratic League, several leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami participated in the 1979 elections and won six seats.

Through this election, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders entered the parliament of independent Bangladesh for the first time.

On May 25, 26, and 27, 1979, a convention of the party was held at the courtyard of Eden Hotel in Dhaka and a new constitution was approved at this conference.

Based on it, on May 27, 1979, Jamaat-e-Islami began its activities in Bangladesh with a four-point programme.

Since then, Jamaat-e-Islami has held meetings and gatherings in various places across the country, including Dhaka.

After the fall of General Ershad, Jamaat-e-Islami won 18 seats in the parliamentary election held in 1991.

The then-BNP formed a government with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami. Without the support of Jamaat-e-Islami, it would not have been possible for the BNP to form a government.

From then on, Jamaat-e-Islami became significant player in Bangladesh’s politics.

Looking back

The Election Commission through a gazette issued on October 29, 2018 cancelled the registration of Jamaat as a political party, which had opposed Bangladesh’s independence during the Liberation War of 1971.

According to the gazette, Jamaat’s registration was cancelled in line with the Sub Clause 4 of Article 90H of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972, following a 2013 High Court order that declared the party’s registration illegal and cancelled.

On November 19 last year, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court dismissed a leave-to-appeal filed by Jamaat-e-Islami challenging a High Court verdict, which declared the party‍‍`s registration with the Election Commission as illegal.