Pressure is increasing on the interim government over banning Bangladesh Awami League (AL) after its associate organization Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has been declared banned. Chhatra Odhikar Parsihad, a students’ organization, held a press conference on Wednesday and demanded banning AL within 24 hours. According to the demands of the students’ organizations, the government had banned BCL. However, they didn’t take any decision to ban AL, the mother organization of BCL.
By questioning the policy makers of the government, it is known that the government will not take decision on banning Awami League single-handedly. Further steps will be taken in this regard according to the views of the political parties through holding dialogues. When asked about it, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser on Environment, Forest and Climate Change during a briefing at the capital's Foreign Service Academy on Thursday, told the Bangladesh Pratidin that banning Awami League is a big decision and the government has not yet decided on this.
In response to the same question, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Mahfuz Alam said that many people are demanding to ban Awami League. But it is a matter of political decision. We will have a dialogue with the political parties. If they (political parties) want, the government will decide (to ban Awami League).
The evidence that the government will not take a lone decision on banning Awami League has already been observed. On August 19, a writ was filed on behalf of an organization called 'Sarda Society'. The state opposed the writ. On September 1, a High Court bench consisting of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Muhammad Mahbub-ul Islam dismissed the writ. Legal adviser Asif Nazrul said, "It will not be appropriate to ban Awami League as a political party.”
Related sources say that Awami League, which claims to be the pro-liberation war force, has been accused multiple times to be in power through murders, disappearances, widespread corruption and vote rigging. Many feel that this party has lost its right to conduct political activities due to the brutal massacre they conducted to the students of the country by misusing power over the latest quota movement issue. This issue is also being discussed in the dialogues of the Chief Adviser and Advisory Council with the political parties on reforms. However, the government does not want to ban the old political party Awami League in the same process as the Chhatra League has been banned by issuing a notification as a terrorist organization. The decision is being finalized with the opinion of the political parties of the country.
Disagreement among political parties: Disagreement is seen among political parties in banning Awami League. In the dialogue with the chief advisor, several political parties expressed their views on banning Awami League. However, BNP, one of the main political parties of the country, does not want it. In the meantime, the party's general secretary Fakhrul Islam Alamgir clarified that. In an interview given to a national daily recently, when asked about the party's position on banning Awami League, he said, “No. We do not want Awami League to be banned as a party. We are not in favor of banning any political party, because we believe in democratic politics. However, those people of Awami League who have committed various crimes, those who have committed genocide, cannot do politics, and the people want that. Their crimes must be prosecuted. But in a democracy, no party can be prevented from doing politics.”
Another political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, also has not yet taken a firm stand on the issue. Some political parties have also expressed an opinion on keeping Awami League away from the elections without banning it. Bangladesh Jatiya Party president Andalib Rahman Parth said after the dialogue with the chief adviser on October 19, parties including Awami League which were involved in genocide should not be given a chance for politics. But whether the parties will be banned or not is a matter depends on trial. But till then these parties should be kept away from elections.
Will Awami League be declared ineligible for elections: As a political party, Awami League might not be banned from participating in elections. Government officials believe that there can be a consensus between the political parties regarding it. If something like that happens, what will be his process is also being worked on. Awami League may be declared ineligible for elections for a certain period of time if it is found guilty of crime against humanity and genocide in the trial of the ongoing international tribunal. On September 23, the Adviser on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of the Interim Government Asif Nazrul held an exchange of views on the International Criminal Tribunal Law with prominent people at the Judicial Administration Training Institute in the capital. In the meeting, the law ministry proposed eight amendments, including considering the disappearance of any force or group involved in genocide, killing, sexual torture as a crime against humanity and banning the political party involved for 10 years. If there is a political consensus, the country's oldest political party may be banned from elections for 10 years in the light of this amendment.
