Left wants Jamaat banned

Leftwing parties in Bangladesh are demanding a ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami after the party’s registration was declared illegal on Thursday.

The parties have welcomed the High Court verdict cancelling the Jamaat's registration for being ‘illegal and void’.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Workers' Party Bangladesh and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB) reacted through separate press statements.

The bench of justices M Moazzam Husain, M Enayetur Rahim, and Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque announced the verdict on Thursday.

The verdict said, “By majority, the rule is made absolute and registration given to Jamaat by the Election Commission is declared illegal and void.”

CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim has described the verdict as correct, saying it comes as a victory for the masses. He, however, feels the cancellation alone is not enough and demands Jamaat's banning.
Jamaat, like the Pakistani Army, had lost its right to take part in politics and other activities in Bangladesh after Dec 16, 1971, he said.

The statement said legalising Jamaat after 1975 was itself an illegal move and demanded its immediate proscription.

The CPB chief also wants a total dismantling of the party’s funds channels, cadre network and leadership structure.

Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon said the verdict had widened the scope for banning of the Jamaat and its student front, the Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The Socialist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Khalekuzzaman said, “The cancellation of Jamaat’s registration stresses the rationale behind the call for its prohibition. Now the government must ban Jamaat.”