DHAKA, Jan 4: All the Islamic political parties of Bangladesh should drop the name of Islam from their name and should stop using religion during campaigning, Law Minister Ahmad Shafique said on Monday.
He said this following a Supreme Court ruling on Sunday, which upheld a 2005 ruling by the high court throwing out the fifth amendment of the constitution, which had allowed religion-based politics to flourish in the country since the late 1970s.
“All politics based on religion are going to be banned as per the original constitution,” Ahmed said. The move follows the Awami League’s sweep to power in 2008 elections, which saw them beat the BNP with a landslide. The new government outlawed a controversial Islamic party in October, accusing it of destabilising the country.
“We want to reinstate the original constitution. Secularism was a pillar of the 1972 constitution,” said Ahmed.
The main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is allied with two other Islamic parties, said it would appeal the verdict.
Four Islamist organisations, including the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), were banned after they carried out a series of nationwide bombings that left 28 people dead in 2005.
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