Law adviser to the interim government Asif Nazrul has said banning Awami League (AL) as a political party will not be wise, report agencies.
The law, justice and parliamentary affairs adviser made the remarks to the media at his office in the capital on Wednesday.
"You've seen that our attorney general's office protested when there was a demand to ban the Awami League. I don't support banning any political party unless they are involved in militancy or seditious acts," he said when asked if the Awami League would be banned.
"If a political party really engages in militancy or seditious acts, then this could be done only after conducting an extremely fair probe," he added.
The advisor said that the Constitution of Bangladesh provides the right to form and run a political organisation. The Awami League was a party that led the struggle for independence and contributed a lot to the democratic movements in the country. But what they did in the last 15 years was not aligned with their tradition and the spirit of the Liberation War.
He said the Awami League 'established a barbaric fascism' in Bangladesh.
"There could be individual responsibility or overall responsibility of the leaders for such acts. But I don't think banning the Awami League as a political party will be wise."
Some people have called the Awami League a criminal organisation. When should one call a political party a 'criminal organisation,' the journalists asked the law advisor.
"Those who don't believe in the existence and sovereignty of Bangladesh, want to eliminate democratic politics, those who operate planned, armed movements to destroy the society free of disparity and oppression that was built on the spirit of the Liberation War, should be called a criminal organisation," he said.
"However, expressing one's opinion should be as free as possible," he added.
He said the AL government did not ban Jamaat from any principled stance rather used this issue for political maneuvering, said Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul on Wednesday.
"For many years, there has been a demand from certain quarters of our society to ban Jamaat-e-Islami. The Awami League never did this despite being in power for 15 years. Then they did it at a specific moment. They attempted to brutally suppress the movement by labeling the people's uprising as terrorist activities and Jamaat-BNP's terrorism. You have received many pieces of evidence of this multiple times," he said.
"Our Home Ministry has examined this, and as part of that narrative of labeling Jamaat-BNP's activities as terrorism, they suddenly banned Jamaat and issued a notification," said the law adviser.
"The narrative that Awami League wanted to portray the people's revolution as terrorist activities, we cannot be a part of that narrative," he said.
"We cannot be a part of an unjust narrative of a defeated and rejected party in the people's revolution," he added.
The executive order banning Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student organisation Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir during Awami League's time has been revoked.
A gazette was issued from the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday canceling the earlier notification.
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