AL must be eradicated, not just banned: Adviser Asif
He emphasised that this process should follow legal and social measures, including truth commissions or similar precedents set in other countries
The Awami League (AL) should not only be banned but completely eradicated for carrying out genocide, said Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, local government adviser to the interim government today (19 February).
Speaking at a youth festival event at Adamjee Cantonment College, he told reporters that the party must be eliminated both ideologically and politically through judicial prohibition.
He emphasised that this process should follow legal and social measures, including truth commissions or similar precedents set in other countries.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Asif also wrote a post on his verified Facebook profile today clarifying his stance on "eradicating AL" instead of just a ban.
"This is my personal stance. The process of how it can be achieved can be discussed now. There are precedents for such actions in various countries around the world. I have witnessed my brothers being martyred by their bullets, seen people disappear, and faced death up close," he wrote.
"The idea of AL's political rehabilitation is unthinkable. I may not have explained it properly, and some media outlets have presented my statements differently. The issue of allowing the AL to participate in elections was not raised here. This question is irrelevant before any trial," added the adviser.
"A permanent solution to this issue must be reached. Otherwise, AL will find an opportunity to return sooner or later. AL had banned Jamaat, but did that stop Jamaat from engaging in politics? If this is not done through an integrated process, its success remains questionable," he added.
Asif wrote the number of beneficiaries of the AL is significant even without being directly involved in politics for 16 years.
"Many ask, 'Why should they [AL beneficiaries] apologise if they did nothing wrong?' They must apologise for being associated with the AL in any format, whether as fascist enablers or beneficiaries. This process must be completed transparently, openly, and step by step," he added.
"AL must be ideologically and politically eradicated from Bangladesh through banning, both legally and socially [following the processes of Truth Commissions or precedents from other parts of the world]," Asif wrote.
