Two Anti-India Terror Accused Among Three Former Convicts Who Won Bangladesh Elections

 

Three Senior Leaders, Including Ex-Accused in Anti-India Terror Case, Elected to Bangladesh Parliament After Sheikh Hasina’s Exit

Three senior Bangladeshi political figures — including one previously accused of supporting anti-India terror activities — have been elected to the country’s new parliament in the first national elections since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down.

Two of the newly elected leaders are members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), headed by Tarique Rahman, while the third represents Jamaat-e-Islami.

All three leaders had previously faced serious criminal charges — including death sentences — which were later overturned following legal and political developments after Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh following Sheikh Hasina’s departure to India.

The BNP leaders include former ministers Lutfozzaman Babar and Abdus Salam Pintu, while the Jamaat-e-Islami winner is senior party figure ATM Azharul Islam.

They are expected to take oath as Members of Parliament in the coming days, at a time when Bangladesh’s relations with neighbouring India remain sensitive.

In December 2024, the Bangladesh High Court acquitted BNP chief Tarique Rahman, Lutfozzaman Babar and others in two cases linked to the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally that targeted Sheikh Hasina. Although Hasina narrowly escaped, at least 24 people were killed in the attack.

Following his acquittal, Babar won his constituency by a margin of approximately 160,000 votes, while Abdus Salam Pintu secured victory by nearly 200,000 votes.

Pintu had earlier been accused of supporting the Pakistan-based militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), which was allegedly linked to several attacks in India, including the 2006 Varanasi court blasts, the 2007 Ajmer Sharif Dargah attack, and the 2011 Delhi blasts. However, the charges against him were cleared in subsequent court rulings after Babar’s acquittal.

The third leader, ATM Azharul Islam, is a veteran Jamaat-e-Islami politician who previously served as the party’s secretary general.