Dhaka, May 11 (UNI) The Advisory Council of the Bangladesh Interim Government has decided to ban all activities of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the ousted party and its leaders is completed at the International Crimes Tribunal.

The decision was made at a special meeting of the council following three days of demonstrations by the government's political allies such as the BNP, BJI, and the NCP and Islamic parties, demanding a ban on the Awami League and its trial for alleged atrocities during the July-uprising last year, reported the Dhaka Tribune.

A formal statement was given by the interim government on Saturday banning the party, stating that the ban on the Awami League has been enacted in order to protect the country’s security and sovereignty, ensure the safety of the July Movement’s leaders and activists, and safeguard plaintiffs and witnesses of the International Crimes Tribunal.

The statement further added that the Advisory Council has decided to finalise and publish the July Declaration within the next 30 working days.

The Awami League is Bangladesh’s oldest political group and predates its history. Formed in 1949, just two years after India’s partition, the party was founded by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Yar Mohammed Khan, two of Bangladesh’s most celebrated figures.

The party had actively spoken out against the hegemony of the erstwhile West Pakistan (present day Pakistan) over East Pakistan, and was severely persecuted by Islamabad in several instances.

After its growing disillusionment with its Western counterpart, the party demanded the creation of a separate nation for Bengalis in 1966, under the country’s founder and its first PM Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known as ‘Bangabandhu’ (Friend of Bengal).

It spearheaded Bengali nationalism and advocated for separation of East Pakistan from the West, resulting in Mujibur Rahman’s arrest in 1970, and the launch of the infamous Operation Searchlight by the Pakistan Army where three million Bengalis were killed, and over a million women raped.

With India’s help in 1971, the Awami League was able to recognise its dream of an independent Bangladesh.

Despite the country’s predominantly Muslim population, under the Awami League’s tenets, Bangladesh remained a secular and pluralistic state, keeping Bengali nationalism as its priority. Despite corruption, the country became a rising power in Asia under the party’s leadership.

Today, the nation is grappling with deepening economic turmoil, growing socio-political unrest, and the alarming rise of Islamic extremism—reportedly supported by Mohammed Yunus.

These developments pose a serious threat to the country's secular foundations, risking the dismantling of its socio-political fabric and potentially replacing it with a pro-Islamic theocracy that would undo the core achievements of the party.





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