Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir have been banned. Home ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard Thursday.
The political activities of Jamaat, Chhatra Shibir and other associate bodies of the organisation have been banned under Section 18 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Earlier, the law ministry sent the file to the home ministry through its legal counsel.
These parties cannot practice politics under these names when the ban will come into effect, the law minister told the media after sending opinions to the home ministry this afternoon.
On Tuesday, law minister Anisul Huq has said Jamaat will be banned through an executive order by Wednesday.
Earlier, a decision was taken at a meeting of governing Bangladesh Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance to ban Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Presided over by Awami League president and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the 14-Party Alliance’s meeting was held at her official residence, Ganabhaban, in Dhaka on Monday evening.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and 14-Party Alliance coordinator Amir Hossain Amu briefed the newspersons after the meeting at Ganabhaban.
Obaidul Quader said, “A decision has been taken at the meeting unanimously to ban the politics of evil forces of Jamaat and Shibir.”
The election commission has already scrapped the registration of Jamaat following a verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal.
According to several sources attending the meeting, prime minister Sheikh Hasina said at the beginning of the meeting that Jamaat and Shibir were behind the recent sabotages, arson, attacks on police across the country during the quota reforms movement. She had intelligence reports on it.
Earlier in 2013, following a verdict of the top court, the election commission cancelled registration of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were executed on charges of crimes against humanity during the liberation war in 1971.
Jamaat appealed challenging against the High Court verdict scraping the registration.
On 19 November 2023, the Applleate Division of the Supreme Court rejected the appeal. So the registration remained cancelled.
The law ministry made a draft law a few years back to try Jamaat-e-Islami as a party on charges of war crimes. However, there was no progress on the matter.