# Jamaat-Shibir banned by Wednesday : Law Minister
# Jamaat have also right to do politics : BNP
# No party has authority to ban other parties: Jamaat
The government decided to ban Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the party-backed student organization Islami Chhatra Shibir. Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq told reporters that the ban could be imposed today.
Several ministers and secretaries of the government met yesterday afternoon to look into the legal aspects of the matter. However, the Law Minister said at the Secretariat yesterday afternoon that the party would be banned by an executive order.
Earlier on July 29, the top leaders of the central 14-party alliance agreed to ban Jamaat at a meeting held at Ganabhaban with Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The next day, the law minister announced the date.
Different political parties have reacted differently to this. BNP said those who are doing politics have the right to do politics. People will decide whose politics they will accept.
Meanwhile, the Jamaat’s Amir said in a statement sent to the media that no political party or alliance has the authority to ban other political parties. This is against the law and the Constitution.
Jamaat is being banned today
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said Jamaat-Shibir will be banned by an executive order on July 31. The minister said this while talking to reporters at the Secretariat on Monday. Earlier, the top leaders of the alliance agreed to ban Jamaat-Shibir at a meeting of the AL-led 14-party alliance held on July 29 in the wake of violence surrounding the quota movement of the students.
After the meeting, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said that BNP-Jamaat is conspiring to make the country ineffective through anarchy. In order to eliminate anti-national forces in the national interest, the 14-party meeting unanimously decided to ban Jamaat-Shibir.
Asked by journalists under what process Jamaat-Shibir will be banned, the law minister said AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has the answer to this question. Honorable Prime Minister has instructed me to take action by tomorrow (today Wednesday). I will sit with the honorable Home Minister after a while. There we will decide what legal process will be done. We'll tell you when we decide.
Does this mean that the decision will be made by tomorrow, he said, Insha Allah. Regarding whether the government will be in trouble again by banning Jamaat-Shibir in the meantime, Anisul Huq said, "Look at the atrocities that have been carried out since July 16. The violence that has been carried out in the name of the anti-quota movement, those who are protesting against the quota movement, but they have no involvement with this violence. In that case, we have data that militants of Jamaat-BNP, Shibir and Chhatra Dal have done it. The law minister said if the party is banned, law and order and the country's politics will improve a lot."
He also said that if a party is banned, it is by executive order. It is not done by any judicial order. It is one thing to try Jamaat for war crimes and it is another to ban Jamaat. We have written about changing or amending the law (International Crimes Tribunal Act) banning Jamaat for war crimes. Even if it is amended, then what will happen is that Jamaat will be tried as a war criminal.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal talked to reporters after a meeting with seven ministers, state ministers, four secretaries and top officials of the law enforcement agencies at the conference room of the Home Ministry yesterday evening.
The minister talked about various issues including the context and duration of curfew, opening of educational institutions and internet service. However, there was no immediate information about the process of banning Jamaat at the meeting.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, State Minister for Labour and Employment Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Law Minister Anisul Huq, State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Zunaid Ahmed Palak and State Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat were present at the meeting.
The foreign secretary, commerce secretary, two secretaries of the security and public security divisions of the home ministry were present in the meeting. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, chiefs of RAB, BGB, Ansar and other high officials of the Home Ministry were present at the meeting.
Jamaat have the right to do politics
Meanwhile, the government has decided to ban Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir in the wake of violence and sabotage surrounding the quota reform movement.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "This is a ploy to change the issue. Although he did not directly mention Jamaat's name, the BNP secretary general said those who do politics have the right to do politics."
He said these at a press conference at his Gulshan office in the capital yesterday afternoon.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged that the government is bringing forward the issue of banning Jamaat to hide the genocide. Banning Jamaat-e-Islami is another project. The government wants to establish BAKSAL again. We believe in multi-party democracy. The Communist Party was banned during the Pakistan period. At that time, all those who did left politics had left the country. After almost two years in India, when they were withdrawn, they returned to the country. Those who are autocratic, who do not have relations with the people, have taken many such decisions. They have to take this. Why haven't they made this decision until now? Why do you take it today? They will have many arguments, they will say many things. They're going to talk a lot about what we're talking about. It doesn't matter to us.
The BNP secretary general said, "We say very clearly that we believe that those who do politics have the right to do politics. Now it is the responsibility of the people to accept whose politics and not to accept politics. What is needed is a free and fair election. At the root of today's crisis is that there is no representative government in this country. Without representative government, this problem will not be solved. Today, this government has no popularity, they have no legitimacy. They were not elected in any election. Political initiative is needed to resolve the political crisis."
One party cannot decide on another party
Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman issued a statement on July 30 protesting the incident. He said, the AL-led 14-party alliance is a political platform. A political party or coalition cannot take any decision regarding another political party. The laws and regulations of Bangladesh have not given this jurisdiction to anyone. If a party or coalition starts banning another party, one party will ban another party. Then there will be no order in the state.
Jamaat-e-Islami is an established democratic political organization, which has been represented in the Jatiya Sangsad by participating in all acceptable elections of Bangladesh. It has played a historic role in every democratic movement. AL has done many movements in the past sitting with Jamaat. The formula of caretaker government system has been presented before the nation for free, fair and neutral elections in the country and fair elections have been held on the basis of that. The demand to ban such a democratic organization is illegal, unauthorized and contrary to the constitution.
People will not accept this demand of the 14-party. Jamaat-e-Islami has been carrying out all programs in a systematic, democratic and peaceful way for the welfare of the country and the nation since its inception and will continue to do so in the future, Insha Allah. It has been contributing to the development of this country in education, health, economy and social work. Jamaat-e-Islami is making relentless efforts to establish the rule of law, justice and human rights in the country. Crores of people have links with Jamaat.
ZH
