Interim government says it is seriously considering ban on Awami League

The interim government says it is seriously considering the demand to ban the Awami League, which has recently been raised by various political parties, organisations and the public on charges of operating an autocratic rule and terrorist activities.

Amid discussions surrounding former president Md Abdul Hamid's departure from the country, a group of protesters led by NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah staged a sit-in on Thursday night in front of the chief advisor’s official residence, State Guest House Jamuna.

Leaders and activists of various student groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami, AB Party, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Hifazat-e Islam, and those involved in the Anti-discrimination Student Movement have expressed solidarity with the protesters.

A “large gathering” has been announced at the protest site following the Friday Jummah prayers. In response, the Chief Advisor’s Office released a statement on Friday afternoon outlining the government’s position.

It said that the government has already established contact with the political parties and plans to take a decision quickly after discussing the issue with them.

The statement also mentioned that the government is also taking into consideration the UN report on the terrorist activities of Awami League leaders and supporters, and called on everyone to be patient until then.

The government has already banned the Chhatra League – the Awami League’s student unit – as a terrorist organisation under the existing law in response to public demand, the statement said.

In addition, the CAO said, the government has taken steps to bring necessary amendments to the International Criminal Court Act to take action against organisations involved in crimes against humanity.

The government is also aware of the public anger over the foreign travel of the former president of the “fascist government” and murder suspect Abdul Hamid, the statement said.

The government is determined to take appropriate legal action against all those involved in this incident, it added.

In 2009, the Awami League government launched trials against war criminals, which led to the execution of several top Jamaat leaders. At the time, there was a growing demand to ban the party entirely.

Discussions on trying Jamaat as an organisation continued for over a decade, and though the government intended to amend the law accordingly, they never completed the process.

Now, in a reversal of roles, efforts are underway to prosecute Awami League leaders at the same tribunal, based on the claim that their suppression of the July Uprising amounted to crimes against humanity.

This means, the Awami League could be tried under the legal amendments it had previously avoided to implement.

In the final days of its tenure, the Awami League, through an executive order, banned Jamaat, its student faction Chhatra Shibir, and their affiliate organisations, accusing them of “terrorist activities” during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.

That executive order from Aug 1 lasted less than a month. On Aug 28, following the shift in political power, the interim government revoked the order.

Many argue that executive action alone would not be sufficient in banning the Awami League in the long run, and have called for legal amendments to support any such decision.

When asked about banning the Awami League, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on bdnews24.com’s Inside Out programme: “This is something for the people to decide. If the people want it, not just for the Awami League, but for any political party, it’s the people’s call. If there’s a breach of the law, the judiciary can take action.

"We have said this many times that banning a political party by executive order will not solve the problem. The ban should come from the people as a whole.”

He continued, “As part of a political party, I don't support the banning of another political party. When the Awami League banned a party like the Jamaat-e-Islami, we opposed it.

“Just because I dislike someone doesn’t mean I can blame them for everything, that’s not right.”

So, does the BNP not support banning the Awami League? Fakhrul responded, “We never said we are in favour of banning the Awami League. If all political parties agree, we’re open to it—but how will it be done?”