Bangladesh’s government has lifted the ban on major Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, effective immediately.
The recent order rescinds the previous directive issued on August 1, which had prohibited the party from political participation.
In its latest order, the government cited the absence of specific evidence linking Jamaat-e-Islami to terrorism and violence as the reason for the ban’s removal. This decision also extends to the party’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.
The ban on Jamaat-e-Islami was solidified under an Anti-Terrorism Act shortly before Hasina’s government faced immense pressure from student-led protests. Following weeks of unrest, Hasina fled to India by helicopter on August 5, 2024.
Jamaat-e-Islami, a major political party with millions of supporters, was initially barred from contesting elections in 2013 when the High Court ruled that its charter violated the secular constitution of the predominantly Muslim nation.
The party faced further restrictions in subsequent elections, including those in 2014, 2018, and most recently in January 2024, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secured her fifth term amid allegations of electoral malpractice and a lack of credible opposition.
Jamaat-e-Islami remains one of the primary political parties in Bangladesh, alongside the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
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