A resolution has been introduced at the United States’ House of Representatives against Jamaat-e-Islami, the group involved in war crimes during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.

US Congressman Jim Banks introduced the resolution on February 28, calling Bangladesh to curb the activities of Jamaat.

The resolution ‘Expressing concern about the threat posed to democracy and human rights by theocratic groups operating in South Asia’ also called upon Pakistan for the same.

READ MORE: BNP called to cut Jamaat ties

It expressed that the US should more actively engage with Bangladesh regarding shared interests in safeguarding human rights, religious freedom, and secular democracy in Bangladesh, while preventing the growth of religious extremism and militancy.

It “calls on the Governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan to deny, disrupt, and dismantle the ability of Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates to continue posing an immediate and ongoing threat to religious freedom and regional stability”.

It also called on all US agencies to halt all partnerships and funding arrangements with groups affiliated with Jamaat its domestic affiliates, including the Islamic Circle of North America, ICNA Relief, Helping Hand for Relief and Development, and the Muslim Ummah of North America.

The resolution identified Jamaat as a patroniser of terrorist and jihadi activities in South Asian region for quite some time now.

Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin today said a decision on the candidacies of 25 Jamaat-e-Islami leaders will be made by Monday.

“We got the High Court letter today. The legal wing of the Election Commission has been asked to scrutinise the matter,” he told The Daily Star.

The decision will be delivered within three working days – which will fall unto Tuesday, December 25 – just five days before the national election.

The High Court on December 18 directed the commission to dispose the application filed for cancelling the candidacy of 25 Jamaat-e-Islami men by three working days.

The court also issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks why the EC’s decision to allow 25 Jamaat candidates to contest in the elections despite the cancellation of their registration should not be declared illegal.

In the rule, the court also asked the EC to show causes why the commission should not be directed to cancel their candidacy.

A petition was filed with the High Court today seeking its directive on the Election Commission to disqualify 25 Jamaat-e-Islami candidates so that they cannot contest the 11th parliamentary elections.

Bangladesh Tariqat Federation and Amra Muktijoddhar Santan (AMS) filed the petition on the ground as the High Court earlier declared Jamaat’s registration with the EC illegal.

The petition was filed as a supplementary writ petition challenging the EC’s decision that rejected an application for cancellation of the Jamaat leaders’ candidacy.

The EC on December 24 sent a letter to the writ petitioners saying that the commission has rejected their application filed for disqualifying the 25 Jamaat men from contesting the polls.

The High Court today received the supplementary petition and said that the petition would be included in its hearing list tomorrow, our court correspondent reports.

The Election Commission on Sunday said there is no scope now for scrapping the candidacy of 25 Jamaat-e-Islami leaders who are contesting the parliamentary election despite cancellation of the party's registration. 

Of them, 22 are in the race with BNP's electoral symbol "sheaf of paddy" and three as independent candidates.

WHAT DID EC SAY ABOUT IT?

After a meeting of the commission, EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said they have examined the related law and “there is no scope for rejecting the Jamaat leaders' candidacy at this moment”.

Helaluddin said returning officers accepted and finalised the Jamaat leaders' nomination papers. But no objections were filed with the election tribunal against the returning officers’ decisions.

Besides, the ROs also allocated electoral symbol to the Jamaat leaders, he added.

The EC scrapped Jamaat's registration following an HC verdict in 2013.