The interim government has formally revoked the gazette notification that had previously banned Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, overturning a decision made by the former Awami League administration.

On Wednesday, the public security division of the home ministry issued a new gazette, declaring that no substantial evidence had been found linking Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir, or their affiliated groups to violent activities.

The original ban, enforced on August 1 by the Sheikh Hasina government under section 18(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, was perceived as an attempt to suppress the burgeoning student-led movement against discrimination.

The Hasina-led government was ousted just four days after the ban, with Sheikh Hasina relocating to India. The interim government, which took office on August 8, acted swiftly to review its predecessor’s decisions.

Professor Asif Nazrul, the legal advisor to the interim government, criticized the previous administration's actions during a press briefing at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

He accused the Awami League of using the ban as a means of political repression, aiming to frame the student and public protests as terrorist activities.

“The Awami League’s intention was to mischaracterize the student and public revolution as terrorism,” Nazrul said. “As the current government, we reject that narrative. The ban was not based on principle but was a political maneuver to suppress dissent.”

Nazrul further condemned the Awami League’s portrayal of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP as militant and terrorist groups, calling it unjust and unfounded.

He underscored the interim government's commitment to uphold individual rights and freedoms while distancing itself from the previous administration’s policies.

—