Bangladesh mulls ban on Jamaat-e-Islami

RAHMAN DHAKA: Bangladesh today said it may ban the political activities of JI, the country's largest Islamic party, after an anti-Islamist blogger was killed amid the massive protest against the leaders of the fundamentalist party.

"The parties which practice politics killing people including law enforcers and damaging properties of public should not be allowed to run in any democratic country," Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said.

Shafique said the election commission can take steps on banning the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) if the commission finds inconsistency between the constitution of the party and the charter of the republic.

Replying to another query about passing a bill to amend the law to ban Jamaat politics, the minister said the prime minister has already said that the Jamaat has no right to do politics in the country as they believe in terrorism, not democracy.

His comments came after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina indicated that she would back a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami.

Yesterday, after visiting the slain blogger Ahmed Rajib Haidar's house in the capital's Pallabi area, Hasina said Jamaat and its students wing Islami Chhatra Shibir have no right to practice politics in Bangladesh as 'they do not believe in democracy. They believe in terrorism and practice politics of terrorism.'

Rajib, a blogger and an activist of ongoing Shahbagh movement, was found stabbed dead near his Palash Nagar house in Pallabi Friday night.

Meanwhile, the Shahbagh protest that began on February 5 rolled into the 13th straight day today.

The protesters, who have been demonstrating in demand of capital punishment to the war criminals, vowed to prevent tomorrow's hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami.