Jamaat leaders can get registered as new party upon fulfilling conditions: EC Alamgir

The leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami can get registered as a new party under a different name if they are not war criminals and fulfill all the conditions, Election Commissioner (EC) Md Alamgir told journalists at his office yesterday.
 
Asked if the name of the party is changed but the members remain the same, will it get registration or not, Alamgir said, "As far as I know, the court has cancelled the registration of Jamaat because its constitution is not compatible with the country's constitution and Liberation War.
 
"If some entity is not incompatible with our constitution and Liberation War, if a party does not have any war criminal in it and if it fulfills all the conditions of registration, then one can no longer say that this party called Jamaat and the new party is the same."
 
EC Alamgir said the law specifically mentions who can get registered or not. If a party's constitution includes such clauses which are in conflict with the country's constitution and the great Liberation War, then it cannot get registered.
 
Asked if someone previously involved in Jamaat-e-Islam can form a new party, the EC said, "Such a person is not a Jamaat member anymore. One thing must be understood that many of our leaders were once involved in a particular political party, but then they left it and joined another one.
 
"Moreover, previously a party had one name, but later they changed it. Many parties in Bangladesh have done this. Besides, some political parties broke up and formed a new party. Suppose – one group was called 'Z', but they broke off from their previous organisation to form 'Y' group. There is no scope of calling that party in the previous name."
 
However, the Election Commission has to consider if the party leaders are fulfilling all the conditions or not, said the election commissioner.
 
He further said whoever wants to get registered, they must have respect for the spirit of the Liberation War and the constitution.
 
"If a party says there will be no female leadership, then it cannot get registered, because the constitution says there should not be any discrimination between men and women. It also prohibits political discrimination on the basis of religion. A party cannot get registered if they have such ideas," he added.
 
In response to the question whether the leaders of the Freedom Party – whose registration was cancelled – can get registered under a different name, EC Md Alamgir said, "Those who are in the Freedom Party are involved in the killing of Bangabandhu. They are fugitives. They do not even have the right to do politics. How can they get registered?"