We came to know that the incumbent Awami League government has issued an executive order to ban Jamaat-e-Islami.
Fascist Awami government has brutally suppressed the justified movement of student communities by enforcing state and party sponsored terrorism, which is rare not only in the history of Bangladesh, but also in the history of the subcontinent. In order to hide their responsibility of this massacre and genocide, the anti-people government is conspiring to lay the blame on the opposition party by destroying some institutions with their terrorist forces.
But it is a globally proven fact that the Awami League government is responsible for these mass killings, destruction and anarchy. The people have watched directly that the law enforcers and the ruling party cadres including Chhatra League and Jubo League men have brutally shot and killed the general people, particularly the innocent students. Even for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, bullets, teardrops and sound grenades have been fired from the helicopters which killed students, crowd, innocent little children playing at home, and the housewives. Ministers and ruling party leaders are trying to invent the so-called 'Third Power' for these incidents to hide their crimes and are continuously trying to identify BNP and other opposition parties as 'Third Power'. By making such propaganda, they are making more mistakes.
The Awami League government cannot avoid its responsibility by hatching conspiracy. According to their instructions, the worst massacre in the history of Bangladesh have taken place. The government arrested 11,000 innocent students so far and sent them to jail. Besides, senior leaders and workers of the opposition parties have been arrested or abducted and they are being tortured inhumanly in the name of police remand.
When the government is facing with intense anger, hatred and pressure at home and abroad for their mass killings, brutality, brutal suppression of the peaceful students’ movement, when the international human rights organizations and the global media are asking the government to be accountable; when the people of all walks i.e. students, parents, teachers, artists, journalists, lawyers, youth, women and other professions regardless of party affiliation, are standing by the students, and when the demand for the resignation of this fascist government is being raised from every house in Bangladesh, at that time, Awami League is trying to wipe out the opposition parties in order to keep them under pressure. As a part of the same conspiracies, they have taken the decision of banning the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami.
This decision of the government is reprehensible, undemocratic and unconstitutional. New debates, new issues are being brought forward to cover up the ongoing issue of Awami League government’s resignation, which is bound to boomerang. Awami League will not be able to divert public opinion by playing the old card of systematically turning a non-issue into an issue. The blood of hundreds of students, teenagers, youths and children will not go in vain.
The countrymen fear that the Awami League themselves have deliberately made the situation more complicated and conflictual by taking these outrageous decisions and putting the blame on the opposition party. In the past, they have created such turmoil by themselves and tried to impose it on their political opponents. They are applying the same tricks for the ongoing movement as well. Awami League can repeat the same ill-strategy in the future with its far-reaching plan to eliminate the opposition party. For this reason, I call upon all the countrymen and the political parties to be aware.
In a multi-party system, it is normal for each political party to have different policies, ideals, programs. It is the job of the other parties to deal with it peacefully with the support of the people in an open political sphere without using force or power. But Awami League failed to do that politically. Rather, they are determined to eliminate, destroy, or ban the opposing political party. The political history of Awami League proves the same tradition. Immediately after the independence of Bangladesh, Awami League formed the government and they conducted severe anti-democratic activities, unprecedented corruption, looting, torture by various gestapo like forces i.e. Lal Bahini, Nil Bahini and Rakhi Bahini. Being failed to deal with other political parties, Awami League enacted a law to ban all parties and launched a one-party rule namely Bangladesh Krishok Sramik Awami League (Bakshal). Not only political parties, but workers, and farmers association and student organizations were also banned at that time. All basic public rights including freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of organization and freedom of judiciary were taken away and the tyranny of one man was introduced disregarding the basic aspirations of the Independence War.
Following the historic National Revolution and Solidarity Day on 7th November, 1975, the founder chairman of BNP, the herald of great independence, martyred President Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam, opened up multi-party democracy and politics with the aim of uniting the divided nations. Thus, he put an end to the one-party political system and introduced a multi-party democratic political system to meet the public desire of a democratic state. Consequently, even Awami League, which had been dissolved in Bakshal and other political parties, which are currently doing politics in Bangladesh resumed their activities taking the opportunity of the multi-party democracy.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP believes in multi-party democracy. 'People are the source of all power' upholding this quotation of Shahid Zia, BNP believes in dealing with politics of other parties based on the support of the people in the arena of open politics. BNP does not believe in banning any political party.
Awami League is such a vicious political party, which consider a party as their friend in partnership but foe in separation. After independence, JSD was formed with some people who had left Awami League. Subsequently, severe massacres and brutal suppression were carried out to eliminate and destroy JSD nationwide. This JSD was once identified by Awami League as the one behind the assassination of its founder and former president late Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But later on, Awami League formed a 15-party alliance, and now they are working together under the 14-party alliance with each fraction of that JSD. Awami League also included JSD leaders in their cabinet as well.
Awami League's affinity with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which they have banned today, is also well known. At one time they were each other's companions. In the 1980s, the Awami League, along with the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, took part in an election under the then tyrannical government to legitimize the dictatorship. At that time also, the then leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami met with Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina at her ancestral residence, House 32 at Dhanmondi and presented Quran and prayer mats. The smiling pictures of the leaders of both parties during the exchanges of gifts are still in the minds of many people. Later in 90s, Awami League along with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and Jatiya Party carried out a movement against the then BNP government demanding non-party caretaker government. Awami League and Jamaat in those days, sat and met together for many occasions inside and outside the parliament, declared strike for 173 days. Their elected members resigned from the parliament altogether. Because of such resignations, democracy was thrown into uncertainty.
During those days, the photograph of Sheikh Hasina sitting next to the leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and declaring a program together still floats in people's memories. At that time, Awami League did not consider Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as an anti-independence or militant force. Because, at that time, Jamaat was doing politics with Awami League. Today, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is vehemently opposing the fascist Awami League government and resultantly Jamaat is being considered as militant or terrorists by Awami League. At present, which political party is militant is very clearly known to the people. Awami League is the biggest sponsor of most of the militants in Bangladesh today. Their terrorism, anarchy, and killings have taken the whole country to the brink of destruction. Their activities have made this nation a failed state.
The right to form political parties or organizations is guaranteed by the constitution of Bangladesh. By virtue of this constitutional right, they can form any political party or organization. It is unjust and unconstitutional to slander or ban any political party without any fair and credible, acceptable, impartial investigation of international standards.
The government will not be able to divert the attention of the people from the movement by making these undemocratic actions. We are calling all the stakeholders and partners, who believe in democracy, regardless of party affiliation, to strengthen the ongoing movement to bring down this fascist and tyrant government.
We strongly protest and condemn the government's decision to ban Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami."
