The election manifesto of the Awami League for the 11th general election contained a section titled “Path to Prosperity” titled – “Ethnic Groups, Religious Minorities and Backward Communities”. This section included various commitments to minority communities.
Restoring the rights of the rightful owners through amendments to the Vested Property Act was one of the top priorities of the ruling party.
In 1965, the properties of the people of the Hindu community who fled to India during the India-Pakistan war were declared enemy property by the then government. After independence, these properties were declared vested property.
The Vested Property Act was passed in 2001 which came into effect in 2012. Although the Awami League had promised to return these properties to the rightful owners in the election manifesto in 2018, there has been no effective initiative in this regard from the government.
The minority communities issue a notification from the Prime Minister’s Office demanding disposal of the related cases in the shortest possible time and return of these properties to the real owners. The manifesto also includes a commitment to set up a National Minorities Commission and enact “special legislation for effective protection of minority rights”. However, these promises have not yet materialized.