Bangladesh Polls: India Must Watch Jamaat's Resurgence Closely

• Jamaat-e-Islami, now leading an 11-party coalition, is competing for 224 seats in the Bangladesh elections on February 12, 2026, after its ban was lifted and registration reinstated.
• The party's resurgence, closer to national power than ever since independence, raises security concerns for India and reignites debates in Britain regarding diaspora representation and Islamist activism.
• Jamaat's historical ties to Pakistan's military during the 1971 Liberation War and accusations of atrocities remain a deeply embedded and unresolved trauma in Bangladesh's national memory.
• The party's evolution is linked to Pakistan's Islamisation under General Zia-ul-Haq and the Afghan Jihad, fostering transnational networks that extended across South Asia and diaspora hubs.
• Despite presenting itself as a democratic, anti-corruption party, Jamaat's ideological roots in Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi's vision of an Islamic state based on divine sovereignty raise questions about its long-term intent.