Banned Hizbut to go open

The posters of banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh drumming up support for their procession and rally on August 13 is seen yesterday on the walls of Dhaka Power Distribution Company in Paribagh in the capital. Photo: STAR

Banned Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh has pasted a huge number of posters in the capital announcing a rally and a procession at Muktangon on August 13, throwing a challenge to the government.
The posters visible at different strategic points of the city contain various calls, including establishment of Khilafat system by ousting the government.
Saving the country's sovereignty, its gas and oil, and creating powerful defence forces free of the influence of the United States, the United Kingdom and India were the other demands on the posters.
On October 22, 2009, the government banned all activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir, Bangladesh on the grounds of public security, as the outfit had been carrying out subversive and anti-democratic activities in the country.
However, the leaders and activists of the outfit have been ever active in various ways. Around 350 leaders and activists, including the organisation's chief coordinator Mohiuddin Ahmed, senior leaders Golam Moula, Kazi Morshedul Huq and Mahmudul Bari, have been arrested since the ban imposed on the Islamist outfit.
Meanwhile, officials of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Detective Branch (DB) of Police claimed that Hizb ut-Tahrir is in no position to hold the rally and procession as announced in the posters.
“The posters were pasted as part of their bid to draw people's attention,” Deputy Commissioner Md Monirul Islam of DB (south) told The Daily Star.
He said some members of the banned organisation might have pasted those posters during the dead of night dodging law enforcers.
Commander M Sohail, director of Rab's Legal and Media Wing, said the organisation may surprise the police by bringing out a procession for a while but holding a rally in Muktangon is absolutely out of the question.”
“As all the activities of the organisation are illegal, the law enforcers will not allow them to hold any programme anywhere,” he added.
Sources in Rab and police said Hizb ut-Tahrir is carrying out its activities in collaboration with some organisation detached from the people and with those which are also banned.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Islamist political party founded in Jerusalem in 1953. It started its activities in Bangladesh in 2000.