Bangladesh’s interim govt says it won't allow 'fascist' Awami League to hold rally

Dhaka: Terming Awami League as "fascist", Bangladesh’s interim government on Saturday said it will not permit the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s party to hold Sunday's planned rally.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus's press secretary Shafiqul Alam in a Facebook post said that the interim government won't tolerate any violence or any attempt to break the law and order situation in the country.

“The Awami League in its current form is a fascist party. There is no way this fascist party will be allowed to hold protests in Bangladesh,” he said.

Alam further cautioned that “anyone who would try to hold rally, gathering and processions by taking orders from the mass murderer and dictator Sheikh Hasina will face full force of the law enforcing agencies”.

Alam’s statement followed a call from the Awami League on its verified Facebook page, urging supporters to gather at Shaheed Noor Hossain Chattar, or Zero Point, in Gulistan on Sunday to protest what they described as “misrule.” "Our protest is against the deprivation of the rights of the people of the country; our protest is against the rise of fundamentalist forces; our protest is against the conspiracy to disrupt the lives of the common people," read the Facebook post.

This was the first call for a rally by the Awami League since August 5, when Hasina fled to India amid a mass student-led uprising against her government.

Awami League also urged party men to stage rallies at grassroots levels across the country on Sunday in line with "the spirit of the call" as described in the Facebook post.

The protest venue, Shaheed Noor Hossain Chattar, holds historical significance, as it was where Awami League youth leader Noor Hossain was killed on November 10, 1987 during a demonstration against the autocratic rule of the then military dictator General HM Ershad.

The interim government earlier banned Awami League’s student front Bangladesh Chhatra League over allegations of its “fascist role” during and before the July-August Anti-Discrimination Students Movement.

Initially launched as a campaign for job quota reforms, the student-led movement intensified into a mass protest that ultimately led to the fall of the Hasina government.

While several political factions have called for the Awami League to be banned, Yunus said such a decision is up to political parties. Some ministers of the interim government also oppose the ban, emphasising political inclusivity. Awami League’s main rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khaleeda Zia also opposed banning any political party.