Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Regains Political Status; Eyes Return to National Politics

GG News Bureau
Dhaka, 2nd June: The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has restored the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and its student wing, Chatra Shibpur, allowing them to contest future elections. This follows the lifting of the ban on the organization by the Muhammad Yunus government after it came to power last year.

Despite losing its registration in 2013 and being barred from elections, Jamaat-e-Islami has remained active in the country. The party is now seeking to rebrand itself ahead of upcoming national elections after facing accusations of involvement in attacks on Hindu communities following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Critics allege that Yunus has relied on Jamaat’s support to maintain his grip on power, with the student wing playing a key role in political mobilization.

The court had earlier overturned the conviction of ATM Azharul Islam, a senior Jamaat leader sentenced to death in 2014 for crimes including rape, murder, and genocide committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. Jamaat had supported Pakistan during that war, a period marked by severe atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army on the people of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

The return of Jamaat to mainstream politics has significant geopolitical implications, especially for neighboring India, which shares a long border with Bangladesh. The party’s pro-Pakistan stance aligns with Prime Minister Yunus’s aim to build closer ties with Pakistan, fueling concerns over regional security.

Recently, Jamaat proposed the creation of an independent Rohingya state in talks with Chinese Communist Party representatives in Dhaka. This proposal comes amid increased Rohingya influx into Bangladesh and rising ethnic armed conflicts in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, posing further strategic challenges.

India’s investments in Myanmar, such as the Sittwe Port and Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), aim to enhance connectivity with Southeast Asia and develop India’s northeastern region. Jamaat’s growing influence and its vision of an Islamic state linked to Pakistan could jeopardize these strategic projects and India’s security interests.

While Jamaat has never won a majority, it has played a kingmaker role historically, allied with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). However, recent disagreements have emerged, particularly over election timing, with the BNP pushing for elections by December 2025, while Jamaat appears comfortable with an extended Yunus tenure.

The student wing, Chhatra Shibir, faced backlash in 2024 for an article criticizing Muslim participation in the Liberation War, describing it as a failure. Though it later apologized, the BNP student wing openly condemned this narrative, highlighting ideological divides rooted in Jamaat’s pro-Pakistan leanings.

The resurgence of Jamaat-e-Islami marks a critical turning point in Bangladesh’s political landscape with far-reaching consequences for regional geopolitics and the future trajectory of democracy and pluralism in the country.