Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Bangabandhu’s grandson and Sheikh Hasina’s former IT adviser, has urged the BNP government, led by Tarique Rahman, to unban the Bangladesh Awami League and reopen space for pluralistic party competition and inclusive democracy by preventing the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act Ordinance.
In his first statement since the February 12 elections, Sajeeb Wazed made the call in a social media post on Thursday. He said that approving the amendment in its existing form would signify an intention to endorse and continue the interim administration’s abuse of anti-terrorism law as a basis for banning political parties.
The approval would undermine democracy, thereby normalising an extraordinary proscription regime and entrenching the exclusion of the Awami League from the political and electoral process, he wrote. On the other hand, if the BNP government does not take steps to endorse the Ordinance, this would indicate a positive stance on their part to distance them from the hostile interim government’s approach, to restore a narrower, rights-compatible anti-terrorism framework.
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The BNP must not allow endorsement of the Ordinance by the new Parliament and let it lapse after 30 days of the first sitting of Parliament, he said.
He recalled that in order to impose a ban on Awami League, the Jamaat-controlled Yunus-led interim administration had to pass the Ordinance on May 12, 2025, to arrogate the power of banning activities of a political party and then published the S.R.O. 137Ain/2025 on the basis of the new power.
The ban includes prohibitions on meetings, publications, and online speech supporting the party and is being used to arrest Awami League members and supporters. Thousands have been arrested by the police and hundreds killed in mobs after the ban was imposed. Upon arrest, there are allegations of detainees being tortured, denial of bail for months, extrajudicial killings, and deaths in prison due to a lack of medical care.
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The Awami League has been demanding the withdrawal of the ban and fresh elections under a neutral caretaker government, where the party will be able to participate, enjoying democratic rights.
Sajeeb Wazed added that Article 93(2) of the Constitution requires the BNP government to lay this Ordinance before parliament at its first meeting. The Ordinance shall cease to have effect at the expiration of 30 days.
Within this 30-day constitutional window, the BNP-led government may either allow it to lapse or approve the Ordinance through legislation (thereby incorporating the ordinance and the S.R.O.-based powers into the permanent text of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009), in the latter case, the Ordinance and all executive measures that depend on it—including the proscription of the Awami League as an “entity” and the derivative Election Commission deregistration—would be unconstitutional and shall be subject to judicial review.
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Sharing Sajeeb Wazed’s post, former state minister Mohammad A Arafat said that the Awami League was illegally banned by Yunus through the issuance of an ordinance, and now the BNP will also have to take responsibility if they ratify that Ordinance.
“To lift the ban, the BNP will not have to do anything; however, to continue it, they will have to ratify Yunus’ Ordinance in parliament. If they do so, the onus for any consequences will then fall on the BNP. The international community needs to be aware of this,” Arafat added.
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