The Bangladesh Muslim League ( bn, বাংলাদেশ মুসলিম লীগ) is a political party in Bangladesh that traces its origins to the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subconti ...

, established in 1906. The party was banned along with other Islamic parties after the

Independence of Bangladesh Independence of Bangladesh was declared on 26 March 1971, celebrated as Independence Day, from Pakistan. The Independence Day of Bangladesh is celebrated on 26 March when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. The Bangladesh ...

in 1971. It was once again legalized in 1976 when Abdus Sabur Khan revived the Muslim League and was elected president of the party. A former leader of the party,

Shah Azizur Rahman Shah Azizur Rahman ( bn, শাহ আজিজুর রহমান; 23 November 1925 – 1 September 1989) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. However, he was the subject of considerable controversy for ...

would become the

Prime Minister of Bangladesh The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা� ...

after joining the

Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...

History

The Bangladesh Muslim League traces its origins to the

All India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subconti ...

of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

established in 1906 in Dhaka with goals to support the Crown and to protect the Muslims of India without opposing the other groups in India. After the Partition of India and the Independence of Pakistan in 1947, the All India Muslim League became the Pakistan Muslim League. The Pakistan Muslim League was voted into power in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

. In the 1955 elections in East Pakistan, the Muslim League lost control of the provincial legislature to the United Front. In the 1960s, the Muslim League split into two separate parties,

Convention Muslim League The Convention Muslim League (CML) was a faction of the Pakistan Muslim League that split-off in 1962, in support of the military regime of the President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic ve ...

and the Council Muslim League. In 1971, after the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

, East Pakistan became

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

and banned all religion-based parties including

and the Council Muslim League. In 1976, the Political Parties Regulation Ordinance was passed which legalized both parties. Both parties then combined into one and formed the Bangladesh Muslim League on 8 August 1976. In 1978, the Bangladesh Muslim League separated into two factions. Abdus Sabur Khan led the conservative faction of the party and

led the more liberal faction. Azizur Rahman joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party soon after. The Bangladesh Muslim League, led by Abdus Sabur Khan won 20 seats in the 1979 parliamentary election. After the death of Sabur Khan, the Bangladesh Muslim League divided into multiple factions. Kazi Abdul Kader later served as the president of the Bangladesh Muslim League. Two factions (the Bangladesh Muslim League and Bangladesh Muslim League - BML) still exist and are registered under the Bangladesh Election Commission. The Bangladesh Muslim League's current president is Adv. Badurddoza Ahmed Suza and the general secretary is Kazi Abul Khair.

References

{{Political parties in Bangladesh Muslim League Political parties in Bangladesh Politics of Bangladesh 1976 establishments in Bangladesh Right-wing politics in Bangladesh Far-right politics in Bangladesh