Bangladesh has banned the Jamaat-e-Islami party, its student wing, and other affiliated organizations, labeling them as “militant and terrorist” groups. This decision comes amid a nationwide crackdown following weeks of violence that resulted in over 250 deaths and thousands of injuries.
The move follows accusations from the ruling Awami League-led coalition, which claims that Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing were responsible for the violence during student protests. Jamaat-e-Islami has denied these accusations, calling the government’s action an “illegal move.”
The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her political allies have blamed Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, for inciting unrest related to student protests over a job quota system.
According to an official circular from Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the ban was imposed under anti-terrorism laws.
The violent student protests, which have since lessened following the imposition of a nationwide curfew and military deployment, were sparked by demands for reforms in public job quotas. Over 10,000 people have been arrested in the past 12 days, including many opposition members. The government has since reduced the quota for public jobs to 7 percent, with 5 percent reserved for the children of war veterans. The unrest began after a court reinstated a quota of 56 percent, including 30 percent for relatives of those who fought in the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.
The Bangladesh Election Commission had already canceled Jamaat-e-Islami’s registration in 2013 during Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government.
