Awami League activities banned to protect national security of Bangladesh, says Chief Adviser's Press Secretary

Dhaka [Bangladesh], May 14 (ANI): Bangladesh has banned Awami League, the oldest and one of the largest political parties of the country, to protect the national security and sovereignty, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser said late on Tuesday.
'We have witnessed how Awami League completely destroyed our democratic fabric, severely squeezed our political space and compromised our sovereignty during its 15-year-long tyrannical and kleptocratic rule. The wounds caused by the crimes against humanity perpetrated by this party are still fresh,' Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, told the reporters, responding to India's comments on banning Awami League activities.
'I have already said that the ban on activities of this party is necessary to protect national security and sovereignty, ensure the safety of July Movement activists, and safeguard plaintiffs and witnesses of the International Crimes Tribunal', he added.
'As for elections, we recall how the Awami League repeatedly resorted to grossly farcical elections and caused irreparable damage to our electoral processes and institutions. We are engaged in a reform process to rebuild our democratic system', Alam said.
'Elections are entirely our internal matter. We urge all to respect the sovereign will of our people in matters relating to elections', he said.
Earlier on the day, India's Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, expressed concern over the ban on Awami League activities.
'The ban on the Awami League without due process is a concerning development. As a democracy, India is naturally concerned at curtailment of democratic freedoms and shrinking political space', Jaiswal said.
'We strongly support the early holding of free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh', India's spokesperson added.
The United States also opposed the ban on Awami League activities.
'We are aware that the interim government has banned the Awami League from all political activities until a special tribunal for the party and its leaders concludes. We do not support any one political party in Bangladesh over another,' said Thomas Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, to the U.S. Department of State.
'We support a free and democratic process as well as fair and transparent legal processes for all individuals. We urge all countries, including Bangladesh, to respect the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association for all,' Pigott told the reporters, replying to a question during the Department Press Briefing on May 13, 2025.
Notably, the Bangladesh interim government on Saturday took a decision to ban all activities of the Awami League, including in cyberspace, under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Awami League, was ousted from power in a student-led uprising on August last year. Hasina fled to India. An interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed. (ANI)

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Business Standard

7 minutes ago

• Business Standard

Doubling India's labour productivity in the next decade: Why and how

Rising labour productivity is the foundation of long-term improvements in real incomes, which are crucial for improving living standards and enhanced personal empowerment Suman Bery Bhaskar Kashyap New Delhi Listen to This Article Faster growth in labour productivity — output per worker or output per hour worked — is central to India's development ambition. While productivity growth ultimately depends on workers and businesses, governments also play an important role through their policies and actions. Over the next decade, India needs to impart increased urgency to an internally consistent, mutually reinforcing set of measures that better integrates many existing initiatives. In a well-known quote, the Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman observed, 'Productivity isn't everything, but, in the long run, it's almost everything. A country's ability to improve its standard of living over time depends

Time of India

12 minutes ago

• Time of India

Iran-Israel conflict: Qatar closes airspace; Iran fires missiles targeting US airbase in Al Udeid

ANI file photo Qatar authorities temporarily suspended its air traffic across the country on Monday, citing the 'safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors'. The ministry of foreign affairs stressed that they are closely and continuously 'monitoring the situation' and coordinating with international partners. "The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country's airspace, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region," the foreign ministry said. Qatar lies 190 kilometres (120 miles) south of Iran and is home to Al Udeid, the United States' largest military base in the region. The US embassy said on its website that "Out of an abundance of caution we recommend American citizens shelter in place until further notice." Shortly after the airspace was closed, explosions were heard in Qatar, with Iran affirming that it had launched an attack on US forces at the Al Udeid air base. Iran had fired 6 missiles targeting the US air base in Qatar. In the past, Iran has issued threats against US forces stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, which houses the forward headquarters of the US Central Command. Located across the Persian Gulf from Iran, Qatar maintains diplomatic ties with Tehran and jointly shares a vast offshore natural gas field with it. Bahrain, a close neighbour of Qatar, said on X that it has "temporarily shifted a portion of its employees to local telework". It is the home to the US's Fifth Fleet.

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

BJP defeat: Bittu takes blame

Ludhiana: Union minister of state for railways and food processing Ravneet Singh Bittu on Monday took responsibility for the BJP's defeat in the Ludhiana West byelection, even as he praised party candidate Jiwan Gupta for putting on a strong fight and securing over 20,000 votes. Bittu congratulated Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora on his victory and expressed hope that he would deliver on promises made to the people of the constituency Bittu admitted to the delay in finalising a BJP candidate being a key factor for the party's loss. "The announcement of Jiwan Gupta's ticket was delayed as the party leadership was engaged with the Operation Sindhoor campaign. This hampered our campaign planning and visibility," he said. Bittu also pointed out that the low voter turnout of just 51.3% reflected lack of public interest in the election, particularly towards the ruling party. "Out of nearly 90,000 votes cast, the AAP candidate managed only around 35,000 votes. This clearly indicates that anti-AAP sentiment in the constituency is much stronger than the mandate they received," he said. Calling the BJP's performance "encouraging", Bittu said the byelection result should not be viewed as a setback. "This is not a defeat for the BJP. The people gave AAP a chance only because their govt still has around two years remaining. In the 2027 assembly elections, we are confident of winning this seat with a significant margin," he said. Bittu urged BJP workers not to be disheartened and continue their efforts on the ground. "We will get another opportunity in 2027, and we will come back stronger," Bittu said. MSID:: 122025192 413 |