Jamaat-e-Islami can’t hold a rally as it’s an unregistered political party: Home minister

Jamaat-e-Islami will not be allowed to hold any rally in Dhaka as it is not a registered political party, says Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

As of now, no political party has been given permission to hold a rally on Oct 28, the minister said, adding any party will be allowed to hold rallies if they follow the rules.

Khan spoke to the media on Wednesday following an inter-ministerial meeting to ensure security on Victory Day.

When asked if Jamaat would be allowed to hold a rally in Dhaka on Oct 28, the minister initially said that Bangladesh is a democratic country and anybody abiding by the rule of law would be able to speak out.

However, when the question was repeated, the minister changed his answer. “We haven’t given them permission [to hold a rally]. We never give permission to Jamaat as it’s an unregistered party. There’s no scope to permit them to hold a rally if they come under the banner of Jamaat-e-Islami,” Khan said.

He suggested reporters should ask the metropolitan police commissioner if Jamaat formally sought permission to hold a rally. “No one seeks permission from me.”

The BNP sought permission to hold a rally and the police commissioner is aware of it, the home minister said. The party announced that they would bring in leaders and activists from all across the country.

“None of its members will be left out, we heard. In that case, there could be a difficult situation in Dhaka with so many people.”

“Our police commissioner will decide on which venue to use for their [BNP] rally. As of now, he hasn’t given permission to any party to hold a rally.”

The minister was asked whether there would be a change in the law and order situation as the BNP has planned the rally as part of its movement to oust the government.

He responded, “The government isn’t an entity which can be toppled by a simple push. It’s a democratic government that took office through the votes of the people. It must complete its tenure and then there’ll be an election. Only then can the government be changed.”

The constitution of Bangladesh does not discuss toppling the government. “The law-enforcement agencies will do their duties to uphold constitutional rights. They will prevent any effort beyond the constitutional framework,” Khan said. “We don’t need further clarification.”

Every political party has the right to exercise democracy, the home minister said. “If the BNP does anything beyond the law, the law enforcers will prevent them because they were defying the law.”

“We have a clear statement. If the BNP goes to the commissioner seeking permission to vandalise things or cause violence, the commissioner will definitely not give them permission. But he will if they opt for a peaceful programme.”

When asked if two political parties can be permitted to hold rallies on the same day, the minister said the law of the land allows even ten parties to hold rallies on the same day provided they abide by the law. “There won’t be any impropriety if people follow rules.”

The government has no plan to block the gateways to Dhaka ahead of the BNP’s rally on Oct 28, he said.

“Why would we block the gateways to Dhaka? People come to Dhaka for trade and business or for official work. We won’t block the entrances. We won’t prevent them [BNP members] if they stage their programme peacefully,” Khan said.