Political Turmoil In Bangladesh: BNP Demands Jamaat Ban As Sheikh Hasina Announces Return

Dhaka: Bangladesh in Political Turmoil: Ban on Jamaat Demanded, Sheikh Hasina Announces Return
Dhaka: Bangladesh is in the middle of fresh political upheaval. Three things have happened in quick succession and each one is shaking the country's political order. The ruling coalition has renewed its demand to ban Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamaat has hit back hard in parliament. And former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in July 2024, has announced she is coming back.

What BNP Demanded?

On June 22, BNP MP Rafiqul Islam stood up in parliament and demanded a complete ban on Jamaat-e-Islami's political activities. He did not name the party directly but made his target clear. He said any party that opposed Bangladesh's 1971 liberation struggle and exploits religion for political gain should be banned from politics entirely. He compared it to banning fascists. He also argued that having the word Islam in a party's name does not mean that party represents Islam. He pushed for mosques to be kept out of political activity.

How Jamaat fired back?

Jamaat-e-Islami was not going to sit quietly. Party MP ATM Azharul Islam responded sharply during the same parliamentary session. He asked BNP directly — if Jamaat is banned, who fills that space? Do you plan to run the country alone? Are you trying to establish one-party rule? He then went further and accused the ruling party of trying to bring Awami League back into mainstream politics. He pointed out that four months into the new government, BNP has still not found anyone to become President. He questioned why the party seems so keen to keep the current President, Mohammad Shahabuddin, in place — a man originally nominated by Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government.

What was the president question?

Shahabuddin was elected unopposed in February 2023 under the Awami League. His term is three years. After the 2024 uprising that toppled Hasina, most administrative faces were changed but Shahabuddin was kept on. He had himself said he might resign after elections but has not done so. It was Shahabuddin who swore in Tarique Rahman's government in February 2026. Jamaat is now using this as ammunition against BNP, suggesting the ruling party has not really broken from the old order.

How Jamaat got here?

When Hasina's government fell in August 2024, the old ban on Jamaat-e-Islami was lifted. The interim government and Supreme Court gave the party a chance to reorganise. In the February 2026 general elections, Jamaat won 68 seats and emerged as the main opposition. From being a banned party to becoming a powerful parliamentary force in under two years is a remarkable turnaround. That rise is now clearly making the ruling BNP uncomfortable.

What Sheikh Hasina had said?

In the middle of all this, Sheikh Hasina has declared she will return to Bangladesh this year. In an interview she said she has been prime minister five times and has devoted her entire life to the people of Bangladesh, to the Awami League and to democratic struggle. She said she will come back despite every obstacle and every conspiracy thrown at her. She denied any back-channel talks with BNP over her return. She said issues like democracy, electoral rights and justice cannot be subjects of secret deals. These are constitutional rights of the people. She added that any case against any individual or party must go through a free and fair judicial process.