Bangladesh Supreme Court orders restoration of Jamaat-e-Islami

 

Bangladesh Supreme Court orders restoration of Jamaat-e-Islami

Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday restored the registration of the country's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, allowing it to contest elections after a decade.

It should be noted that Hasina Wajid's previous government had cancelled the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami.

According to the AFP news agency, the Supreme Court has declared the decision to cancel the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami null and void, which will now allow the party to officially register as a political party with the Election Commission again.

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The Election Commission's lawyer, Tohidul Islam, told AFP that the Election Commission has been directed to deal with the party's registration in accordance with the law.

Jamaat-e-Islami's lawyer, Shishir Munir, said the Supreme Court's decision would promote a "democratic, inclusive and multi-party system" in the country.

"We hope that the people of Bangladesh, regardless of their ethnic or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat-e-Islami, and that parliament will be full of constructive debates," he told reporters.

After Sheikh Hasina was removed from office as prime minister in August, Jamaat-e-Islami had filed an appeal to review a 2013 High Court ruling that banned the party.

The decision came at a time when the Supreme Court had also overturned the 2014 death sentence handed down to a key Jamaat-e-Islami leader, ATM Azharul Islam, on May 27. They were accused of rape, murder and genocide during the 1971 war of independence.

Jamaat-e-Islami had taken a pro-Pakistan stance in 1971, which remains a sensitive and angry issue for many Bangladeshis today.

Jamaat-e-Islami has been a rival of Sheikh Hasina’s father and Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her term in office and cracked down on its leaders.

In May, the interim government also banned the Awami League until a verdict was reached in a case against them over their crackdown on public protests, which led to Sheikh Hasina’s ouster.