Militancy in Bangladesh is a reality which needs to be eliminated with collective efforts and a wider understanding of terror and religious extremism, said speakers at a discussion in Dhaka.
They mostly blamed ‘compromising’ politicians for letting down the country’s security. They all agreed that Jamaat-e-Islami must be banned along with outfits that promote terror activities.
Several speakers referred to the alleged extra-judicial killings, saying those unlawful actions will never be effective in rooting out militants in the country.The roundtable on the threat of terror in Bangladesh was the maiden programme arranged by the newly formed think tank, Bangladesh Centre for Peace and Development, and attended by high-profile personalities from various fields.
Some of the speakers connected to the event through video link from outside the country as well as from six divisions of Bangladesh.
The event was held against the backdrop of an audio-video clip circulating on the Internet with a still photo of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Zawahiri, in his message, called Bangladesh ‘a huge prison’ and asked its Muslims to start an ‘intifada’ [uprising] against the ‘secular’ government in Bangladesh and other ‘enemies of Islam’.
“Almost 40 terror outfits are active in Bangladesh,” said, retired Maj Gen Abdur Rashid. “So far 22,700 people were killed as a result of their activities.”
He further said 300 temples, 500 homes and 200 shops were damaged in the past few years.
Elimination of the roots of militancy in Bangladesh should be the country’s top priority, said National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman.
“The rise of militancy poses a serious threat to human rights in Bangladesh,” he told the programme at Hotel Radisson on Saturday.
“Its elimination should be Bangladesh’s top priority.”
Rahman said alleged extrajudicial killings and abductions cannot prevent extremism from striking deep roots.
Speakers in the discussion agreed that Jamaat-e-Islami should be banned along with outfits that promote terror activities.
“It will be a mistake to view terrorism just from Bangladesh’s perspective,” said Amir-ul-Islam.
The former president of the Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association was addressing other speakers through video conference.
“The rise in terror must be seen in the light of things happening around the world.”
Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee’s Shahriar Kabir agreed, saying, “We will never know the true extent of militancy in Bangladesh without the knowledge of how terror networks have spread globally.”
Bangladesh should ban Jamaat to avoid ‘a harvest of terrorists’, he said.
Referring to the barrage of claims and counter claims that followed the al-Qaeda message, Kabir said, “Blame game over militancy serves no purpose and instead it encourages al-Qaeda.”
Liberation War Museum Trustee Sarwar Ali said, “Two main reasons contribute to the rise of militancy not only in Bangladesh but the entire sub-continent.”
One was deteriorating security measures, and the other, was due to differences in basic ideals.
“Bangladesh’s Liberation War was a moral struggle. There is an ongoing effort to destroy this achievement by spreading radical Islamic views among people at the grass roots.”
“We are now facing a security and moral risk but we shouldn’t just look at the government for solution.”
He urged that the crisis be tackled with people’s unity.
Celebrated cultural personality Ali Zaker said, “Those who were defeated in our glorious war of Liberation are still lurking to snatch our victory.”
“The war isn’t over.” “Militants are made when people are cheated into believing a manipulated version of religion,” said former Chief of Bangladesh Army Major General KM Safiullah.
Nagorik Oikya Convenor Mahmudur Rahman Manna said it would not be possible to eradicate terror with police encounters and that the scourge would continue to pose a threat unless good governance was established.
Law Commission Chairman and former Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque, Barrister Tania Amir, former Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Khandker Ibrahim Khaled, Air Commodore (retd) Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury and former Election Commissioner Brig Gen Sakhawat Hossain participated in the discussion among others.
Somokal Editor Golam Sarwar, professor Anwar Hossain, Transparency International, Bangladesh director Iftekharuzzaman also took part.
Ain O Salish Sultana Sultana Kamal, KM Shafiullah, addressed the discussion through video conference.- bdnews24.com
