At a major rally organized by Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh at Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday (May 3), Hasnat Abdullah, South Zone Chief Organizer of the National Citizen Party (NCP), declared that the people had shown a “red card” to the Awami League on August 5 and that its political rehabilitation would not be tolerated. He accused the party of functioning not as a political organization but as a terrorist outfit, stating that those responsible for past crimes, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, must face justice. Abdullah also demanded the repeal of sections in the proposed women’s commission law which he claimed were anti-Islamic.

Referring to the ruling party’s legacy, Hasnat Abdullah argued that Awami League’s post-independence actions had severely undermined democracy, pointing to the establishment of BAKSAL and alleged mass killings of opposition figures during Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s era. He blamed the party’s policies for the 1974 famine and accused them of violence against religious individuals.

He criticized recent comments by Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus regarding Awami League’s participation in future elections, insisting that such decisions now lie with the people, not the party. “Awami League is politically dead in Bangladesh; its funeral was held in Delhi,” he said.

Abdullah further noted that it was shameful that after the “second independence” of August 5, they still had to gather to reiterate their rejection of Awami League’s return. He claimed that the entire country had already decided against their rehabilitation, especially after the party’s alleged involvement in violent crackdowns.

The rally was presided over by Hefazat’s Amir, Shah Muhibullah Babunagari, and highlighted four primary demands: immediate withdrawal of all cases against Hefazat leaders (claimed to number around 300), justice for incidents involving killings on May 5, 2013, and during the March 2021 protests against Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit, repeal of the women’s reform commission, reinstatement of full faith in Allah in the constitution’s preamble, and an end to the oppression of Muslims in Palestine and India.