The Awami League can return to normal politics only if Bangladeshis forget the party's past actions, Prime Minister's Information Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman said today.

He also noted that whether the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, will remain barred as a political party is a matter for the courts to decide.

Speaking to journalists at his weekly press briefing at the Secretariat, Zahed said: "For the Awami League to return to normal politics, all of our memories would have to fade away. We would have to develop dementia and forget everything. Only then might it be possible [for them to return to politics]."

Saying that the Awami League lacks the moral courage to return to politics, the adviser added: "Plunderers, mafiosi, thieves and swindlers don't really possess much moral courage."

During the briefing, Zahed also said: "In July, people were able to stand in front of guns because they had moral courage. Despite so many gunshots and so many deaths, people still went back and stood there the very next day. So, there is no reason to believe that they [the Awami League] can achieve much of anything."

Regarding the deployment of the army in several districts on the occasion of the founding anniversary of Awami League, the adviser said they might have the capacity for some minor sabotage, and they have a lot of money to spend on sudden acts of violence.

“That is why the army has been deployed in areas deemed high-risk, solely for the safety of the public. This does not mean the government believes the Awami League is capable of doing anything major,” Zahed said.