No plan to ban Awami League or any other party: Govt to court

Dhaka, August 27

The interim government in Bangladesh on Tuesday said it has no plans to ban any political organisations, including the Awami League headed by deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

This was stated by Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman when he urged the High Court to summarily reject the writ petition that sought its order on the government to ban Awami League as a political party and cancel its registration.

The current government has no intention to ban any political organisation, Asaduzzaman told a High Court bench during a hearing on the writ petition, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

He said the interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus believes in the freedom of organisation and political parties that is enshrined in the Constitution.

The attorney general said those who, being involved in the previous authoritarian government, committed misdeeds, can be tried through the courts of law but it is not appropriate to ban any political party for their personal activities. After the hearing, the bench fixed September 1 for passing an order on the matter, the report said.

Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan, executive director of rights organisation Sarda Society, submitted the petition as a PIL on August 19 seeking a High Court order to ban Awami League as a political party for indiscriminate killing of students during the protest in July. — PTI

Another former minister arrested

Bangladesh police on Tuesday arrested former junior minister for information and broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, an accused in several cases, including one filed over the killing of a student during the anti-government protests. PTI