Regional resolve needed to banish terrorism

Some 500 bombs exploded nearly simultaneously in 63 districts of Bangladesh on August 17, killing two persons and injuring more than 300 people. Bombs exploded at 28 well secured points in the capital city including Prime Minister's office, Secretariat, Supreme Court and Judge Court. The Islamist militants again hit on the courts stoking further fear that has already engulfed the nation. Five serial bomb blasts at the courts in Chandpur, Laxmipur and Chittagong occurred on October 3, leaving two people dead and 38 others, including a district judge and a police injured. Two perpetrators held from the Chandpur blast site and one from Laxmipur said Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which has been blamed for the August 17 serial bomb blasts, assigned them to carry out the attacks. Having patronage from the powerful, both from inside and outside of the country, a new breed of religious extremists have gradually emerged in Bangladesh and made their existence strong enough to pose threat to state security.

The Daily Star in its investigation reports entitled Inside the Militant Groups published profiles of as many as seven militant groups. According to the reports, Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB) was formed in 1998. The activists of this mainstream Islamist outfit believe in capturing state power though armed revolution and running the country by establishing Islamic rule. JMB has developed a strong network across the country and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) was formed as its militant front to carry on the armed operation. The Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI) was formed reportedly with assistance from Osama bin Laden. It has around 15,000 members in Bangladesh, including local residents and foreigners who are mostly the students of various madrasas. Shahadat-AL-Hiqma (SAH) was lunched in 1997 but started its activities openly in 2001 under the banner of an NGO. Hizbut Towhid (HT), Hizb-ul-Tahir (HUT) and Islami Biplobi Parishad (IBP) are some other Islamist outfits on a similar mission to establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh through armed revolution. These Islamist outfits have thriven a strong network with other terrorist groups in South Asia to carry out their nefarious designs.

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Whatever may be the definition of terrorism, it is no doubt a set-back for all the Saarc countries toward peace and prosperity, and regional resolve is needed to banish terrorism. The Saarc Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism was signed in Kathmandu in November 1987 during the third Saarc summit and came into force on August 22 following ratification by all member countries. The convention provides a regional focus to many established principles of international law in this respect. Under its provisions, member countries are committed to extradite or prosecute alleged terrorists thus preventing them from enjoying safe heavens. The Saarc Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) was established in Colombo to compare, analyse, and disseminate information about the terrorists, their tactics, strategies and methods. Efforts must be taken for further strengthening STOMD to banish terrorism in South Asia.

The government of Bangladesh for making foolproof security during the forthcoming Saarc summit has ordered the law enforcing agencies to stay on high alert in the border areas in a bid to resist the entry of most wanted 128 terrorists of six Saarc countries into Bangladesh. The intelligence agencies of Bangladesh have already identified some extremist groups of the Saarc countries. These are United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa), National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Self Defence United Front of South East Himalya, Tehrik-e-Pakistan, Millat-I-Islam, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Laskar-e-Taiyeba, Muttahida, Majlish-e-Amal, Maoist guerilla and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). A decision of sending photographs and bio-data of the top listed 128 terrorists of these extremist groups in the Saarc countries has also been taken.

Owing to heightened security concerns in the region, the US government has decided to open a South Asian Security Desk in its State Department to assist nine Asian countries in their pursuits of making the region safer in the wake of worldwide spread of terrorism. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India are also included in the list of nine countries. It is no doubt an appropriate step by the US government to help the South Asian countries for better coordination in the global fight against terrorism as these countries are not yet meaningfully united and prepared for such fight. "Terrorism is a menace that we all have to face and fight together. This is not only a phenomenon here in our country. This is something that the whole world has to face. It is important that we all get together and fight it together," said Congress President Sonia Gandhi after the serial bomb blasts that rocked New Delhi on October 29.

Pakistan is under intense international scrutiny over the Delhi bomb blasts, with the UN Security Council passed a strongly worded statement asking member states to cooperate with India in bringing terrorists to justice. New Delhi has publicly accused Islamabad of not acting against terrorism directed at India The madrasas in Pakistan have been accused of being breeding grounds for Islamist militants and came under the spotlight after it emerged that at least two of the bombers may have visited a madrasa in Pakistan before the July 7 London bombing. President Pervez Musharraf has already announced a crackdown on madrasas in which hundreds of people were rounded up, including clerics and suspected militants, while madrasas were asked to expel all foreign students and register by December 31 or be shut down. President Musharraf said, even though most of the religious schools provided shelter and education to children from rural areas, some were fanning hatred and militancy.

It has been learnt that the issue of evolving an effective means to fight terrorism is not being focused in the agenda of the 13th Saarc summit. But the Saarc leaders may take up the issue to discuss, and the Dhaka Declaration is likely to reflect a commitment on terrorism. Pakistan ratified the Saarc convention on suppression of terrorism on November 2. A statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said: "By ratifying this convention, the government of Pakistan has once again demonstrated its resolve to fight terrorism and root out this menace from Pakistan and the region." The Additional Protocol to the Saarc Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism was signed by the member states in the 12th Saarc summit held in Islamabad in January 2004. All the member countries have so far ratified the additional protocol, except Nepal. This ratification came amidst assertions from India pointing involvement of militant outfits from Pakistan in the serial blasts of October 29 in New Delhi.

Terrorism is growing apace across the world. Many countries including US, UK, Indonesia, Spain, Libya, Egypt, Sri-Lanka, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh have had to witness the ugliest face of terrorism, and the list goes on and on. The brutal killing of innocent people in New York, Madrid, Karachi, Colombo, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Bali Island, London, Egypt, and most recently in New Delhi, has revealed that terrorism is a common enemy to all human being. More than 27,000 people including 9,000 innocent civilians have been killed in India by the terrorists in the last five years. But the irony is that a handful of people under the guise of being Muslims are engaged in terrorism that only serves to defame the Islamic faith. Only depraved individuals with perverted beliefs could commit crimes of such enormity. As terrorism is growing apace, the millions of people in the South Asian region will obviously wait to see the kind of strategies to contain regional terrorism is adopted at the Dhaka Saarc summit.

ANM Nurul Haque is a banker.