The Bangladesh government says it is keeping a close watch on the Awami League’s activities outside the country, following reports of the party opening an office near Kolkata.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters on Sunday that the party’s operations remain banned in Bangladesh. Speaking at a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka, he said the authorities were aware of the developments and were alert to any attempts to create instability.
“The Awami League office, as you know… Their activities are banned in Bangladesh. We are definitely monitoring what they are doing outside [the country],” Alam said in response to a question about a BBC Bangla report on the matter.
Several media outlets have recently reported the opening of an Awami League office in a commercial area on the outskirts of Kolkata. The reports claim that leaders and activists who left Bangladesh for Kolkata after August 5, 2024, have been using the office for regular party work.
When pressed about the government’s response, Alam repeated that the administration is tracking the party’s moves. “All steps taken by the Awami League are in the government’s knowledge. We are also watching what they are doing outside the country,” he said.
The Awami League, which presided over Bangladesh for more than ten consecutive years, has been prohibited from carrying out political activities since the present administration assumed power. Officials assert that the measures are necessary for the preservation of public order, yet the party and its affiliates contest that justification.
The implications of this most recent surveillance for the organisation’s international operations are presently indeterminate. The Kolkata branch has refrained from issuing any public communication, leaving its prospective engagements and organisational trajectory in ambiguity.
