Government Clears Withdrawal of 1,006 ‘Political’ Cases

The BNP-led government has approved the withdrawal of 1,006 politically motivated harassment cases filed against opposition leaders and activists during the 17-year rule of the ousted Awami League regime.

The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the decision on Sunday, quoting Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. The cases were described as tools of political persecution used by the previous “fascist government.”

This move comes just five days after the BNP formed the government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman following its landslide victory in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election on 12 February.

Background and Scale

Earlier, during the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, the Law Ministry had recommended withdrawing 23,865 cases filed between 6 January 2009 and 5 August 2024 (the day Sheikh Hasina’s government fell amid the mass uprising). These cases targeted leaders and activists from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and others. The ministry estimated that nearly 500,000 people would be relieved from such “harassment cases.”

Two committees were formed on 22 September 2025 to review applications:

• District-level committees led by deputy commissioners
• An inter-ministerial committee headed by then Law Adviser Asif Nazrul

After 39 meetings and reviewing submissions from affected political parties, the inter-ministerial committee recommended the withdrawal of 23,865 cases. The current government’s decision on 1,006 cases appears to be part of the ongoing implementation of that process.