No fascist party should exist in democratic system: Yunus tells FT

Dr Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of Bangladesh's interim leader, has accused the political party of ousted authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina of exhibiting "all the characteristics of fascism". "No fascist party should be in existence in a democratic system," he said.

It has "no place" for now in the country's politics, Yunus said.

"In the short run, definitely she has no place — the Awami League doesn't have a place — in Bangladesh," the newspaper quoted 84-year-old Nobel peace laureate as saying.

"They controlled the people, they controlled the [political] machinery, they controlled the institutions to enhance their interest," he said in the interview.

Yunus told the UK-based Financial Times that the interim government would not immediately seek the extradition of Sheikh Hasina from India.

FT reported that Yunus said his government would seek Sheikh Hasina's return after a verdict had been reached by the International Crimes Tribunal, which issued an arrest warrant against her and 45 others earlier in October.

"She is charged with crimes against humanity . . . when the verdict comes out, we'll try to get her back through the extradition treaty" with India, he said. "I don't think we have a case to do that before a verdict is done."

Political rivals and human rights groups have accused the Awami League of rigging recent elections, carrying out extrajudicial killings, and capturing state institutions during Sheikh Hasina's more than 15-year rule, the report said.

Since her flight, Bangladeshis have been debating whether the party should be temporarily suspended from politics, required to reform, or banned entirely, FT report stated.

Yunus speculated during the interview that the Awami League might disintegrate, but stressed that its fate would not be decided by his interim administration as it was "not a political government".
Any decision on whether Awami League could participate in a future election would be decided by a "consensus" of political parties themselves, he said. "They have to decide their political space."