Expanding network in C. Asia & Bangladesh led to HuT Ban

The Narendra Modi government, which declared Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) as a terrorist organisation, has been keeping a close watch on increasing HuT activities in the extended neighbourhood in Central Asia despite a ban on the organisation by five Central Asian states besides Bangladesh, said people familiar with the matter.

HuT, along with Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan and Ansarullah Bangla Team, allegedly hijacked the student movement that led to the ouster of PM Sheikh Hasina in August, they said, adding that over the past two months HuT leaders in Bangladesh have been flexing their muscles through public display of the organisation’s propaganda.

Besides JeI, the growing network of HuT in Bangladesh is under the scanner of the security establishments globally. Mahfuz Alam, a student with alleged allegiance to Hizb ut-Tahrir was appointed as special secretary to Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh.

HuT first became active in Bangladesh when the BNP-Jamaat coalition was in power, advocating for the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate.