Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has come into action citing the threat to public safety after the long-running nationwide unrest in Bangladesh. The Prime Minister on Thursday banned Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing ‘Islami Chhatra Shibir’ under the Anti-Terrorism Act. This has spread panic among many Muslim organizations. It is believed that such anti-terrorism action may be taken against many more organizations. These two organizations have been found to be most involved in inciting violence in Bangladesh. Some other organizations have also been found out, security agencies are also gathering inputs about them.

The ban on the Islamist party was announced in a notification issued by the Public Security Division of the Bangladesh Home Ministry. This party is a major ally of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The Bangladesh government on Tuesday decided to ban Jamaat-e-Islami following violent protests by students across the country over reservation in government jobs. The government alleged that Jamaat-e-Islami was taking advantage of the movement in which at least 150 people were killed.

Decision of PM Hasina-led coalition
This development comes after a meeting of the 14-party coalition led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. A resolution was passed in this meeting that Jamaat should be banned. The recent decision to ban Jamaat comes 50 years after the initial ban imposed in 1972 for “misusing religion for political purposes”.