"Ban on Awami League without due process is concerning," MEA Spokesperson says

New Delhi [India], May 13 (ANI): Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, during the weekly press conference on Tuesday, called Bangladesh's ban on the Awami League as "concerning".
Jaiswal called for the early holding of free, fair, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh.
"The ban on the Awami League without due process is a concerning development. As a democracy, India is naturally concerned at curtailment of democratic freedoms and shrinking political space. We strongly support the early holding of free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh," he said.
The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) on Monday suspended the registration of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League as a political party, a senior EC official said.
"We have suspended Bangladesh Awami League registration (as a political party) in line with the home ministry notification", Aktar Ahmed, Senior Secretary of EC, told the reporters.
However, Awami League rejected the government's decision and announced that they will conduct their activities properly on Saturday.
"The people of Bangladesh are shocked and outraged by the illegal and unconstitutional occupying fascist Yunus government's announcement to ban the activities of the Awami League", the statement said.
"We reject this decision of the fascist dictator Yunus government with hatred and strongly condemn and protest against it", the statement said.
"At the same time, we express firm commitment that the Bangladesh Awami League will continue to conduct its activities properly, ignoring this decision of the fascist Yunus government", the statement said.
Earlier, the cabinet of the Bangladesh interim government, headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, took a decision to ban all activities of the Awami League, including cyberspace, under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
"Today will be marked as a black day in the history of Bangladesh. The activities of the Awami League, the party under whose leadership Bangladesh was established as an independent and sovereign state, have been banned in the independent country by the undemocratic fascist Yunus government, which has no mandate from the people", said the statement posted on Awami League's Facebook page. (ANI)