Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, who is leading Bangladesh's interim government, plans to block ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and other like-minded parties from political participation. According to Bangladeshi media reports, Mahfooz Alam, special assistant to the interim government, said that Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party may face administrative and legal obstacles to engage in political activities.
Mohammad Yunus, 84, took charge as the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh on August 8. Earlier, Sheikh Hasina had fled to India on August 5 following violent protests. Yunus loyalist Mahfouz Alam said, “Those who participated in the last three elections, entered Parliament illegally and cheated the public, obstacles will be placed on their political participation.”
Yunus has held a meeting with 10 political parties, in which he demanded to bar the Awami League from participating in the upcoming national elections. Hasina was victorious for the fourth consecutive time in the elections held in January, which was a record in the electoral history of Bangladesh. According to reports, 14 allies of Awami League were not involved in these discussions. When asked about banning Hasina's party, Alam said, “The government will not take this decision unilaterally,” and the decision will be taken unanimously after consultation with various political parties.
At the same time, last month, Awami League's arch rivals Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami had refused to ban Hasina's party. The Dhaka High Court on September 1 had also rejected a petition seeking to ban the Awami League and cancel its registration.
Bangladesh's International Criminal Tribunal on Thursday issued arrest warrants against 45 people, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other top Awami League leaders, for alleged crimes against humanity during the recent massive student protests. The tribunal has directed authorities to produce Hasina and others before it by November 18, according to local media. The arrest warrant against Hasina could – technically – lead to her extradition by the country's interim government from India, where she had fled on August 5.
Jamaat-e-Islami likely to get political party status again
While on one hand a plan is being made to ban Hasina's party, on the other hand the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami can be given the status of a political party. Jamaat has appealed to regain its canceled political registration, which has been reinstated by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. A four-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Rafaat Ahmed, passed the order on Tuesday. Lawyers say the decision paves the way for Jamaat to legally reclaim its registration and the party's symbol 'scales'. The Jamaat had earlier appealed against the High Court's 2013 decision which had declared its registration illegal.
