Govt prepared to counter Jamaat-Shibir if they ‘go underground’: Minister

Govt prepared to counter Jamaat-Shibir if they ‘go underground’: Minister

Dhaka, Aug 01 - The government is ready to confront any covert activities by the just-banned Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said on Thursday.

He made this statement in response to questions from journalists at the Secretariat.

When asked whether Jamaat-Shibir would go underground once banned, the minister acknowledged the possibility. “They may go underground. Many parties have done so in the past, and you know what happened to those parties. However, we are prepared to handle such a situation,” the Law Minister said.

He also mentioned that the government has taken steps to amend the International Crimes Tribunal Act. “It is not that banned party members cannot be punished. The ban may not directly lead to penalties, but they can still be prosecuted for any crimes committed under Bangladeshi law,” the Minister explained.

In response to a question about the fate of the party’s assets post-ban, he assured that measures are in place.

Regarding punitive actions against party members, the law minister clarified that they cannot engage in politics under the banner of the banned party. “If they commit any crime under any law of Bangladesh, they will be prosecuted. However, there will not be mass trials for new Jamaat-e-Islami activists who were born after 1971,” he pointed out.-UNB