Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Bangladesh Election Commission suspends Awami League’s registration

Authorities cited national security concerns and an ongoing war crimes investigation against the party’s top leaders over the deaths of hundreds of protesters.

Sheikh Hasina

The party was led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Getty Images

BANGLADESH’s Election Commission has suspended the registration of the Awami League, the party led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, effectively disqualifying it from contesting upcoming national elections.

The decision followed a government order banning all activities of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, issued the ban after days of protests.


Authorities cited national security concerns and an ongoing war crimes investigation against the party’s top leaders over the deaths of hundreds of protesters.

“With the home ministry’s ban on all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, the Election Commission has decided to suspend the party’s registration,” Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters late on Monday.

Under Bangladesh’s electoral laws, a party must be registered with the Election Commission to take part in national polls. The suspension prevents the Awami League from contesting elections unless the ban is lifted and its registration reinstated.

The Election Commission has also barred the party and its affiliates from any political activity. This includes media or online appearances, publications, processions, rallies, or conferences, until the International Crimes Tribunal completes its investigation.

Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in 2024. The election was boycotted by the main opposition, whose leaders were either jailed or in exile. She has been credited with economic progress, but also faced allegations of human rights abuses and crackdowns on dissent.

Protests escalated in recent months, leading to Hasina fleeing to India in August 2024. Yunus took over as head of the interim government.

Yunus has said he does not intend to run in elections and that national polls may be delayed until 2026. He has promised reforms before any vote.

India expressed concern on Tuesday over the ban on the Awami League and the political situation in Bangladesh.

“We strongly support the early holding of free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party has also called for early elections and a return to democratic rule.

The newly formed National Citizen Party, led by students from the protest movement that brought down Hasina’s government, has demanded that polls be held only after reforms.

The unrest began in July with student protests against public sector job quotas. It later turned into one of the most violent political periods since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.

The Awami League has faced increasing criticism in recent years over allegations of authoritarianism, corruption, and rights violations during Hasina’s leadership.

(With inputs from agencies)

More For You

Air India Reuters

Air India said it has complied with the directive.

Reuters

India’s aviation watchdog begins annual audit of Air India

A TEAM of ten officials from India's aviation safety watchdog is visiting Air India headquarters for an annual audit, according to a government memo.

The visit comes as the airline faces scrutiny following a plane crash on June 12 that killed 271 people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air-India-crash-victims

Mourners carry the coffins of victims who died in the Air India Flight 171 crash, for funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 21, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Air India crash: All but one of 260 victims identified

AUTHORITIES in Gujarat said on Tuesday they had identified 259 out of the 260 victims recovered after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad earlier this month.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was heading to London’s Gatwick Airport when it crashed shortly after take-off on June 12.

Keep ReadingShow less
International yoga day

International Day of Yoga stood as a powerful reminder of yoga’s enduring role in personal and collective transformation

Parmarth Niketan

Global leaders gather in Rishikesh for 11th International Day of Yoga

Key points

  • The 11th International Day of Yoga was celebrated at Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh
  • Ambassadors, high commissioners, and guests from over 25 countries participated
  • The event followed the global theme: “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”
  • The Common Yoga Protocol was conducted by trained instructors with government audio
  • Swami Chidanand Saraswati Ji and Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati Ji led the spiritual programme
  • Celebrations concluded with a World Peace Yajna and the national anthem

A global gathering on the banks of the Ganga

Rishikesh, 21 June – The 11th International Day of Yoga was marked by a large-scale, spiritually uplifting gathering at Parmarth Niketan Ashram on the banks of the River Ganga. Diplomats, dignitaries, and yoga enthusiasts from over 25 countries participated in the celebration, which followed the global theme of “Yoga for One Earth, One Health”.

The event began with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and the recitation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The session featured the Common Yoga Protocol conducted by trained instructors to the government-issued audio guide.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladesh's former election chief arrested over vote rigging claims

FILE PHOTO: Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the media at a vandalized metro station in Mirpur, after the anti-quota protests. (Photo by -/Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh's former election chief arrested over vote rigging claims

BANGLADESH's former chief election commissioner K M Nurul Huda has been arrested on charges of manipulating elections during his tenure, police said.

Dhaka metropolitan police’s deputy commissioner Mohidul Islam said Huda was arrested in the case filed by former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) against the former election commission chief and 18 others, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

US president Donald Trump. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Pakistan under fire for nominating Trump for Nobel Peace prize

PAKISTANI politicians and citizens are demanding their government withdraw its nomination of US president Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace prize, following American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar sent a formal letter to the Nobel Peace Prize committee in Norway last Friday (20), recommending Trump for the prestigious award.

Keep ReadingShow less