Anti-India Terror Accused Among Three Ex-Convicts Who Won Bangladesh Elections

Last Updated:February 14, 2026, 10:43 IST

Two of the winners belong to Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, while the third is from Jamaat-e-Islami.

Three senior Bangladeshi political leaders, including one previously accused of backing anti-India terror activities, are among those elected to the country’s new parliament following the first national polls since the exit of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Two of the winners belong to Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, while the third is from Jamaat-e-Islami.

All three had earlier faced serious criminal charges, including death sentences, which were later set aside following legal and political developments after Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh after Hasina left for India.

The BNP leaders are former ministers Lutfozzaman Babar and Abdus Salam Pintu, while the Jamaat-e-Islami winner is ATM Azharul Islam.

They are set to take oath as members of parliament in the coming days, at a time when Bangladesh’s ties with neighbouring India remain sensitive.

In December 2024, a Bangladesh High Court acquitted Tarique Rahman, Babar and others in two cases related to the August 21, 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally that targeted Hasina.

While Hasina narrowly escaped, at least 24 people were killed in the attack. Babar went on to win his constituency by a margin of about 1.6 lakh votes.

Pintu, another BNP leader, won his seat by a margin of nearly two lakh votes.

He had earlier been accused of supporting Pakistan-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), which was linked to several attacks in India, including the 2006 Varanasi court blasts, the 2007 Ajmer Sharif Dargah attack and the 2011 Delhi blasts.

Charges against Pintu were cleared following court rulings after Babar’s acquittal.

The third leader, ATM Azharul Islam, is a veteran Jamaat-e-Islami figure who previously served as the party’s secretary general.

He had been sentenced to death in 2014 for alleged crimes during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, including the killing of more than 1,200 people, and was also accused in multiple rape cases. His conviction was later overturned, clearing him of all charges.

With all three leaders now elected, they are set to enter parliament despite their controversial pasts.

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