Bangladesh: Interim Government Lifts Ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir

The interim government in Bangladesh, led by Prof. Muhammad Yunus, has lifted the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir. The home ministry issued a notification on Wednesday confirming this decision.

The gazette notification stated: “In the absence of concrete evidence linking Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student organization, Islami Chhatrashibir, to terrorism and violence… and given the government’s belief that neither Jamaat-e-Islami nor its affiliates, including Islami Chhatrashibir, are involved in terrorist activities.”

As a result, the government, under the authority of Section 18 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, has annulled the previous order that banned Jamaat, Shibir, and their associated organizations, according to the notification.

The decision takes effect immediately, as noted in the notification.

Earlier, on August 1, the Awami League-led government had banned Jamaat, Shibir, and all related organizations as political entities under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009.