On Thursday, the Bangladesh government officially prohibited the Jamaat-e-Islami party, alongside its student group and other related organizations, due to allegations of their involvement in violence that has led to over 200 deaths and thousands of injuries across the nation during recent protests. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her political associates have accused Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, of provoking unrest in connection with the protests regarding a quota for government employment.
According to a circular from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the ban was enacted under the country's anti-terrorism legislation. Since mid-July, there has been a significant crackdown, with reports indicating at least 211 fatalities and over 10,000 arrests involved in the turbulent demonstrations.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party has faced electoral exclusion since 2014, when the Election Commission annulled its registration. Additionally, in 2013, the High Court ruled that Jamaat-e-Islami’s constitution was incompatible with Bangladesh's secular principles, disqualifying it from participating in elections. While the Supreme Court reaffirmed this decision in 2023, the party had previously maintained the ability to engage in various political functions until the recent ban.
Jamaat-e-Islami, established in 1941 during British colonial rule, opposed the emergence of Bangladesh during the liberation war from Pakistan in 1971. The party has sustained serious ramifications for its actions during the war, including allegations of crimes against humanity against its leaders, many of whom have faced execution or imprisonment. The historical context includes a significant loss of life during the war, with Bangladesh asserting that approximately three million died and hundreds of thousands were subjected to sexual violence.
Although Jamaat-e-Islami was banned after Bangladesh's independence for its complicity in wartime atrocities, this ban was lifted in the mid-1970s but imposed again during its prior existence in Pakistan. Following the government’s latest decision, party leader Shafiqur Rahman condemned the ban as illegal and unconstitutional, criticizing the authority of a political alliance over another party and warning against the dangers of political suppression in the state.
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