AL must be eradicated, not just banned

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain yesterday said the Awami League must be eradicated politically and ideologically from Bangladesh.

He said this must be done through a ban following legal and social processes, such as a truth commission or precedents from other countries.

“The Awami League should not only be banned but also politically eradicated from Bangladesh. This is my personal stance. Now, discussion may take place on how it will be implemented. There are precedents of this in various countries,” he wrote in a Facebook post yesterday.

“I have seen my brothers martyred by their [AL men] firing before my eyes. I have been a victim of disappearance; I have seen death up close. It is impossible to even think of the political rehabilitation of Awami League,” Asif stated.

He also clarified the statement he made yesterday on allowing AL men to participate in polls.

“As I did not elaborate… my statement may not have been conveyed clearly. Some media outlets have also presented my statement differently. Here [in the statement], it was not said to allow Awami League to participate in elections. That question is irrelevant before a trial,” he said.

The adviser also emphasised the need for finding a permanent solution to this issue.

“If we don’t do so, the Awami League will find a way to return to power today or tomorrow. The Awami League had banned Jamaat-e-Islami, but did that stop Jamaat’s politics?”

Asif called for an “integrated process” to ensure AL’s eradication, noting that the party still has a large number of beneficiaries.

He also said many who had some connection or other with AL ask why they should apologise if they have done nothing wrong. “Of course, they must apologise for their involvement with Awami League ‘as a fascist enabler or a beneficiary’ in any given form. This process must be completed transparently and in phases.”

LondonGBDESK//