Government to take quick action to ban Awami League, says Asif Mahmood

 Asif Mahmood Shojib Bhuiyan, an adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives, has confirmed that the government plans to take immediate action to ban the Awami League.

He shared this update in an interview with the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) on Friday, February 7.

Asif Mahmood shared his thoughts on the growing political consensus surrounding the idea of banning the Awami League.

He said, “First of all, it’s really positive to see that political parties are coming together on the issue of banning the Awami League. When there’s agreement among the parties, it will be much easier for the government to take and implement any decision.”

When asked if the government would take action soon to ban the Awami League, Asif Mahmood emphasized the importance of focusing on the public‍‍`s needs.

He explained, “After August 5, our main priority should be to give importance to what the people want. From that point of view, I would like to appreciate the BNP’s call to ban the Awami League.”

As an adviser to the Interim Government‍‍`s Ministry of Youth and Sports, he pointed out that apart from the judicial process, there are four laws that give the government the power to take action against any political party using executive orders.

However, he added that the government has not yet decided on the legal framework for such actions.

He further said, “In the judicial process, it is expected that the Awami League’s involvement in the July-August genocide will be proven. If this happens, the government will have the option to take actions like banning the party or canceling its registration. Since this is connected to law enforcement, the government will follow all necessary steps before making a final decision.”

He reassured the public, saying, “I want to assure the people of Bangladesh that the government will act swiftly to reflect their wishes.”

Asif Mahmood also commented on the formation of a new political party by students who played a significant role in the July uprising.

He said, “After the changes on August 5, we formed an interim government. In the past, we’ve seen that when the leaders of a people’s uprising are excluded from the next steps, the achievements of that movement get lost.”

He added, “Even after the 1990 popular uprising, people’s democratic rights weren’t established. Considering this, the leaders of the anti-authoritarian movement have thought about forming a party. Additionally, many of the students who led the popular uprising after August 5 have not joined any political party yet.”

Asif Mahmood explained that many of these students now feel a strong desire to contribute to the nation‍‍`s progress.

“To channel this energy, they see the need for a political party,” he said. While the decision to form a party has already been made, the name of the party hasn’t been finalized yet. “We’ve heard that the new party may be announced in the second half of February.”

When asked if any government representatives would join the students’ new party, Asif Mahmood replied,

“A final decision hasn’t been made yet. However, our stance is clear: if any student representatives currently in the government wish to get involved in politics, it wouldn’t be right for them to stay in the government. If they choose to join, they must resign from their government positions first.”