Government steps soon to ban Awami-League

Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, Advisor to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives, said that the current government will soon take steps to ban Awami League as a political party. He said this in a special interview with Bangladesh News Agency (BASS) on Friday.

Asif Mahmud said, first of all, it is very positive that a kind of 'consensus' is being

formed among the political parties regarding the banning of Awami League. As the

people of the country could not accept the undemocratic and stubborn attitude and

activities of the then ruling party, a 'consensus' was established between them before

and after August 5 to ban the party. If such a consensus is formed among the political

parties, it will be easier for the government to implement any decision.

Is the government taking any steps to ban Awami League as a political party? In

response to such questions, he further said, I think, ordinary people or political parties;

Whoever we are, we 'represent' the people of this country. As a result, our main goal

should be to give priority to the aspirations and demands of the people after

August 5. I would like to applaud the demand of banning Awami League from that place.

The advisor to the Youth and Sports Ministry of the Interim Government said that

apart from the judicial process, there are 4 laws, where the government can take

action against any party by executive order. However, the government has not yet

decided what its legal framework will be.
He said that the involvement of autocratic Awami League with the massacre of July

and August should be proven naturally in the judicial process. In that case, the

government can take any measure including banning Awami League as a party,

canceling its registration. However, since the matter is related to the implementation

of the law, the government will take a final decision to ban Awa League after

following all necessary procedures.

He said, I want to assure that the government will take quick steps in this regard to reflect the wishes of the people of Bangladesh.

Regarding the formation of a new political party by the students who led the July

uprising, this adviser to the government said, "After the August 5 change, we formed

an interim government." We have seen in the past that the achievements of a coup are

lost due to the lack of involvement of those who stage a mass coup in the subsequent

process.
He said that the democratic rights of the people have not been established even after

the 1990s uprising. Considering these issues, those who have been at the forefront of

the movement to overthrow the dictatorship have thought of forming a party.

Moreover, many who led the popular uprising after August 5 did not go under any

political banner.
Asif stated that there is a growing desire among them to establish a state. He

emphasized the need for a political party to unite this power. While the decision to

form a party has been made, the party's name is yet to be decided. According to

reports, the launch of the new team is expected to take place in the second half of

February.

When asked if there will be any government representatives in the new student group,

Asif Mahmud responded that no decision has been made yet. However, he clarified

that their policy is clear: if any student representatives from the current government

choose to join the political process, it would be inappropriate for them to remain in

government positions. He stated that any individual who pursues this path would need

to resign from the government first.