Shifting tides

Bangladesh's Supreme Court has restored the registration of Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party, more than a decade after it was barred from the political arena. The decision, which follows the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government last August in a students-led uprising, marks a pivotal moment in the nation's political realignment.

Restoring the once-barred entity is a symbolic reversal of a political order that had sought to marginalise the party from national discourse. Under Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, Jamaat was systematically targeted, its leaders prosecuted for war crimes and its influence curtailed. Critics argued this was a necessary reckoning with history. Supporters, however, viewed it as political vengeance dressed in judicial robes. Now, with Hasina in exile and facing charges, the tables are turning rapidly. Ironically, the Awami League itself has been banned pending legal proceedings, leaving the political field wide open. This moment is as fragile as it is historic. The interim government's promise of elections by June next year provides a sliver of hope for a return to democratic normalcy. But history in Bangladesh has shown that transitions rarely proceed smoothly. Jamaat's return to the electoral process may inflame old tensions, particularly among those who still see the party through the lens of its role in the 1971 liberation war. Yet, the question today is not merely whether Jamaat should or should not participate in, it is whether Bangladesh can build a truly pluralistic political culture that transcends revenge and repression.

The banning of the Awami League, just as the Jamaat returns, must be viewed with equal scrutiny. No democracy can thrive by simply rotating bans on its major political forces. Whether the nation can find solid ground again will depend on its ability to uphold the rule of law and resist the temptation to silence dissent regardless of who holds power.