Illustration: Antony Premkumar J
The interim government of Bangladesh led by Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday (August 28, 2024) lifted the ban on Bangladeshi High Commissioner Abdul Kalam. Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladeshits student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and “all other affiliated organisations” of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.
On August 1, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina banned Jamaat and all its affiliated organisations for promoting violence in the country. Jamaat had actively participated in the protests that eventually led to the ouster of Ms Hasina, who has taken refuge in India.
Jamaat-e-Islami is a branch of Bangladesh, founded on August 26, 1941 in Lahore. In East Pakistan, then known as Bangladesh, Ghulam Azam led the Islamic movement. Jamaat supported undivided Pakistan and also campaigned for it after the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
After the Babri Mosque demolition, Jamaat-e-Islami presented itself as the voice of the majority and gained mainstream prominence.