Two ministers on Tuesday said that the government decided to ban the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami through an executive order within a very short time.
Law minister Anisul Huq and home minister Asaduzzaman Khan made the announcement after a joint meeting at the home ministry.
Earlier in the afternoon, however, the law minister said that Jamaat would be banned by today.
鈥榃e cannot say that Jamaat will be banded today or tomorrow, it is under process, it will be implemented as soon as possible,鈥� home minister said following the joint meeting.
Earlier, a decision was made at a meeting of the ruling Awami League-led alliance on Monday evening to ban the Jamaat and its student organisation the Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Presided over by Awami League president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the meeting of the alliance was held at her official residence, Ganabhaban, in the capital.
After the meeting, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and alliance coordinator Amir Hossain Amu briefed journalists in front of Ganabhaban.
Quader said that a decision was made at the meeting unanimously to ban the politics of evil forces of Jamaat and Shibir.
The Jammat on Tuesday condemned the decision.
In a statement, Jamaat amir Shafiqur Rahman said, 鈥業 strongly condemn and protest the illegal, extrajudicial and unconstitutional decision to ban Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which has been taken in the meeting of 14-Party Alliance on July 29. The Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance is a political platform. A political party or alliance cannot make any decisions about another political party.鈥�
He said that the law and constitution of Bangladesh gave no such authority to anyone.
鈥業f a party or coalition bans another party, then another party will continue to ban the other party. Then there will be no such thing as state discipline. The Jamaat-e-Islami is an established democratic political party, which has participated in all credible elections of Bangladesh and the party had representations in the national parliament,鈥� he said.
The party has played a historic role in each of democratic movement in the history of Bangladesh. Awami League has conducted many movements in the past sitting with Jamaat, it said, adding that for ensuring a free, fair and impartial election in the country, Jamaat-e-Islami presented the concept of caretaker government and based on that formula, fair elections were held in the country on several occasions.
The Election Commission has already scrapped the registration of Jamaat following a Supreme Court order.
Following a verdict of the Supreme Court, the commission cancelled the registration of Jamat in 2013.
Top leaders of Jamaat have been executed on charges of war crimes during the liberation war in 1971.
Jamaat appealed challenging against the High Court verdict scraping the registration.
On November 19, 2023, the Appellate Division rejected the appeal.