'Awami League members can contest as independent candidates': Bangladeshi journalist Muktadir Rashid on ban on Sheikh Hasina's party

Dhaka [Bangladesh], December 25 (ANI): Bangladeshi journalist Muktadir Rashid said that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 'Bangladesh Awami League' can field independent candidates despite a ban on the party ahead of the elections in the country.
In an interview with ANI on Wednesday, Rashid termed the ban on Awami League as a "revenge attempt" from Jamaat-e-Islami.
"I think it's a revenge attempt by Jamaat. Jamaat was behind this ban because of what happened after the 1971 war. The Jamaat was banned in Bangladesh for around 15 years," he said.
"We want a change in Bangladesh. We want to have a new Bangladesh, and this is only possible through the elections. And Awami League should feel and repent for this unless they themselves say, We made mistakes, and we are ready to go for all kinds of resentment... Even they can do the same that the Jamaat did. They have people who can contest as independent candidates," he added.
Notably, during Sheikh Hasina's tenure (2009-2024), the Jamaat-e-Islami's top leaders were tried and executed for war crimes, and the High Court cancelled its registration. A ban was imposed on the party in the final days of Hasina's government.
Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5, 2024, the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami was lifted, allowing the party to resume its political activities. Since then, the party has been actively engaging in the political arena, including participating in student union elections and forming alliances with other Islamic parties.
Bangladesh is set to undergo elections in 2026, which is believed to be a contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and the Jamaat-e-Islami. The newly formed National Citizens Party (NCP), which led the uprising against Sheikh Hasina, will also participate in the polls.
Muktadir Rashid expressed confidence that elections will be held in February 2026, dismissing concerns that arose due to recent unrest. He said that political assassinations are not new in Bangladesh, but the killing of student leader Osman Hadi sent shockwaves across the nation.
"The situation in Bangladesh is very fluid because you know that the election is approaching, which is going to happen probably in February next year, as scheduled by the election commission. And we hope that will happen. But before that, we have seen a number of incidents that caused a huge confusion and kind of political uproar in every spectrum," he said. (ANI)