Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh has lifted a ban on the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, reports said.
The political party, which was termed as a “militant and terrorist” organization, was banned by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as nationwide protests erupted against her rule.
Hasina fled to India on August 5 after protest against her government grew stronger with each passing day.
She also blamed its student wing and other associate bodies for inciting chaos over a quota system in government jobs.
According to reports, the weeks of violent protests and the subsequent crackdown left more than 600 people dead.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Home Affairs revoked the ban on Wednesday, allowing the party to resume its activities.
However, it would have to register with the Election Commission of Bangladesh to contest polls.
Meanwhile, there has been no immediate reaction from the Jamaat-e Islami, which was banned from taking part in elections since 2013.
Following the ban, the Election Commission had cancelled its registration, a decision upheld by the High Court. It ruled that the party’s charter violated the constitution by opposing secularism.
Bangladesh’s Law Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul said that Hasina’s ban was politically motivated and not based on ideology.
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Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s rival, also had blamed Hasina’s government for the ban that he said was meant to divert attention from the violence in which security officials were accused of using excessive force and causing deaths among protesters.
The present government has been struggling to restore political stability and order as police forces and other government sectors are demoralized after attacks by protesters.
Compounding the crisis was a devastating flash flood that ravaged the country’s eastern and other regions, killing at least 27 people.
Under Hasina, who was criticized as an authoritarian, thousands of opposition leaders and activists were arrested before the January election that returned her to power for the fourth consecutive term.
