Lifting Jamaat ban: Decision final, gazette notification soon

The interim government has decided to lift the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, according to senior officials from the Home Ministry and Jamaat’s attorney, Mohammad Shishir Manir. 

On August 1, the previous Awami League-led government through an executive order had imposed the ban on Jamaat, Shibir, and all their associated organisations as political entities under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. 

However, officials now confirm that the decision to rescind the ban has been finalised, with the necessary file already forwarded to the Law Ministry. 

A gazette notification is expected to be issued later today, Shishir Manir stated.

Manir also refuted earlier claims that Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir were banned for their involvement in terrorism. 

He said that a review committee established by the Home Ministry concluded that neither Jamaat nor its affiliates were engaged in terrorist activities. As a result, the interim government's chief adviser, home affairs adviser, and law adviser collectively decided to revoke the ban, he added.

The August 1 gazette notification had cited substantial evidence linking Jamaat and Shibir to recent killings, destructive activities, and terrorism, leading to their prohibition under Section 18(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. This marked the second time Jamaat-e-Islami faced a ban as a political party in Bangladesh.

The decision to lift the ban follows the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister on August 5, after a mass uprising against her Awami League government.