https://arab.news/2vbwt
- Supreme Court鈥檚 decision allows Bangladesh鈥檚 largest religio-political party to partake in elections
- Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad during Bangladesh鈥檚 1971 war of independence against Pakistan
DHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday restored the registration of the largest Islamist party, allowing it to take part in elections, more than a decade after it was removed under the now-overthrown government.
The Supreme Court overturned a cancelation of Jamaat-e-Islami鈥檚 registration, allowing it to be formally listed as a political party with the Election Commission.
鈥淭he Election Commission is directed to deal with the registration of that party in accordance with law,鈥� commission lawyer Towhidul Islam told AFP.
Jamaat-e-Islami party lawyer, Shishir Monir, said the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision would allow a 鈥渄emocratic, inclusive and multi-party system鈥� in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people.
鈥淲e hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat, and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates,鈥� Monir told journalists.
After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister in August, the party appealed for a review of the 2013 high court order banning it.
Sunday鈥檚 decision comes after the Supreme Court on May 27 overturned a conviction against a key leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, A.T.M. Azharul Islam.
Islam had been sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh鈥檚 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad during the war, a role that still sparks anger among many Bangladeshis today.
They were rivals of Hasina鈥檚 father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League, who would become Bangladesh鈥檚 founding figure.
Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her tenure and cracked down on its leaders.
In May, Bangladesh鈥檚 interim government banned the Awami League, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year.