'Believe AL has no right to do politics': Adviser Asif expresses solidarity with NCP's demand to ban AL

Adviser Asif Mahmud has expressed solidarity with the National Citizen Party's demand to ban AL following backlash over his announcement that Jubo League and Swecchasebak League will soon be banned.

In a Facebook post at 12:40am tonight, the adviser clarified that the decision to ban Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League was made days ago and that it was not an attempt to subdue the movement demanding the ban on AL.

"The decision to ban Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League was made a few days ago. This is not a process to suppress the movement. Rather, it is another step towards banning the Awami League," he wrote, referring to a sit-in protest, led by NCP, that kicked off at 10:00pm Thursday in front of the chief adviser's official residence, demanding a clear roadmap on banning AL.

Expressing solidarity with the demand for banning AL, he also wrote, "Personally, I think that the Awami League, as a political party that committed genocide, has no right to do politics in Bangladesh. July's pledge is to ensure the trial of the genocide perpetrators and to politically ban and eliminate the Awami League."

"Let July unite," he added.

His latest post came shortly after several NCP leaders, including its Convener Nahid Islam and Chief Organisers (South) Hasnat Abdullah, criticised the decision to ban the AL affiliates as a 'farce'.

"The farce of banning the Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League will not be accepted. Awami League must be declared a terrorist and fascist organisation and banned. Provisions for trial as a party must be added to the ICT Act," both Nahid and Hasnt posted on their Facebook profiles at around 11:20pm, shortly after Asif's announcement.

All three- Asif, Nahid and Hasnat- were prominent leaders of the Students  Against Discrimination that spearheaded the successful July uprising against the ousted Awami League governemnt.