Post Breakfast
A 'peaceful nation' and terrorism
FOR most of us, one of the important tasks after waking up is to reach for the newspaper. To an extent, we have become slaves to this habit. Keeping ourselves informed of what happened yesterday helps us to determine what we will be doing today. In more ways than one, the morning newspaper also guides our thinking on important issues and helps to put things into perspective.
I plead guilty to going through six dailies every day--two in Bangla and four in English. This exercise provides me not only with desired but also with unwanted information. It also contributes towards food for thought. There is however a problem. If one reads more than one newspaper every morning, one can then be faced with contrary information that creates different signposts.
This habit led me recently to take note of two paradoxical situations.
We had a report where the Global Peace Index carried out by an independent think tank (Institute for Economics and Peace) indicated that Bangladesh ranks first among the States in this region in the ranking of peaceful nations in 2008. Bangladesh is apparently 86th among 140 countries and ahead of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the ranking. Interestingly, Ireland tops the survey and the USA is placed below Bangladesh at 97th and Russia at 131st.
The nations were apparently tested against 24 'peacefulness criteria' including a nation's relations with its neighbours, arms sales and possible involvement of its troops abroad. The report is also supposed to have taken into account data on a nation's crime rate, its prison environment, population and the potential for terrorism within its borders.
Our Foreign Ministry immediately took advantage of this ranking and expressed special satisfaction with this report on 24 May. It was termed as recognition of the fact that 'today, Bangladesh is an oasis of clam' in an otherwise turbulent region. It was also reaffirmed in this context that 'we are at peace with all our neighbours' and claims made that political and social violence had waned.
Such reports when read, create as sense of happiness. Unfortu-nately, this bliss did not last too long for me.
There was another interesting development on a different track in another newspaper. The Foreign Ministry's optimism appeared to be slightly hasty given the front page headline that screamed out from the 24th May edition of the Bangla daily 'Janakantha'. It related to alleged Harkat ul Jihad I Islami Bangladesh (HUJI) activities outside Bangladesh. A dispatch from New Delhi claimed that HUJI-B had created its own matrix for spreading terror in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In this context reference was made to confessions of an arrested militant called Abdur Rahman in New Delhi. A member of HUJI, he has allegedly revealed to the Indian police that there is free movement through the respective territories of these three South Asian countries by the militants. Abdur Rahman was apprehended in the New Delhi railway station supposedly with powerful explosives. He has reportedly told his interrogators that he received terrorist training both within Pakistan and Bangladesh. Abdur Rahman is also believed to have mentioned that there was a plan to carry out explosions in New Delhi after the bombings that had been carried out in Jaipur in Rajasthan on 13 May.
It may be recalled that two other members of HUJI-B terrorist wing involved in carrying out the 21 August 2004 grenade attack in Bangladesh -- Mursalin and Muttakin -- are presently in captivity in the Tihar jail in New Delhi.
Abdur Rahman is also supposed to have confessed that HUJI in Bangladesh is in close contact with Pakistan based militant organization Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and Jaish-i-Mohammad. It may be pointed out here that Mufti Abdul Hannan (presently under arrest in a Bangladeshi jail), one of the founder members of HUJI-B is also reported to have had very close cooperation with Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Abu Zafr (an important leader of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba) and Maulana Masud Azhar, leader of Jaish-i-Mohammad. The Janakantha report has also underlined that the Indian militant leader Ghulam Yazdani visited Dhaka in 2003 and held discussions with the HUJI-B leadership. Similarly, Pakistan's militant Wazed Ali alias Aman is also supposed to have visited India in 2004. There were a lot of details in the report that indicate that the source of information for the dispatch might have been based on details received from Indian intelligence agencies.
Such a report has obviously not been helpful for Bangladesh. It tarnished our image and created doubts about our claims that our authorities have zero tolerance regarding militancy and terrorism.
It is true that since the beginning of 2007, our administration has shown greater firmness in dealing with militancy. Unlike the past BNP-alliance government, we have seen more focus on dismantling terrorist structures. Important militants have been executed after necessary judicial process. There have also been many other constructive initiatives related to counter-terrorism.
Nevertheless, there appears to be need for doing much more.
Britain's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was here in Dhaka in April 2008. We also had a senior US official in charge of counter-terrorism visit us the next month. Both were significant in terms of connotation. The British Minister unambiguously stated that there are links between terrorist outfits in Bangladesh and Britain. It was quite a revelation coming from a senior British functionary. She did not clarify the linkages but noted that a high level British-Bangladeshi joint working group would be meeting in June to work out the details of practical programmes on counter-terrorism. One key aspect of such programmes will be sharing of information on terrorism and anti-terrorism training. The senior US Official also underlined the need for similar engagement.
It will not be enough for this caretaker Administration to continue to bask in the glory of being a 'peaceful nation.' That would be extremely superficial. There is a strong current of militant fundamentalism within Bangladesh. Criminal activity is also on the rise. The media, both print and electronic, have been consistently reporting that the crime rate has shot up. Every day there are reports of murder, mugging and militancy. Only a few days ago police arrested another 13 militants from the banned 'Allahr Dal' in Sundarganj Upazila. We have also seen emotional militancy from Khelafat Andolon and Islami Shashontantra Andolon activists.
Bigots have fought fiercely with the police protesting against the National Women Development Policy. Those pitched battles on the streets did not signal our country being an 'oasis of calm' as claimed by our Foreign Affairs Adviser.
We must not forget what happened on 17 August 2005 when 500 bombs were simultaneously exploded all over the country. The whole nation was terrorized. After that was the suicide bombing on 14 November 2005. That killed two judges in the southern township of Jhalokathi.
We have experienced different dimensions of terrorism over the last few years. The scourge might superficially appear to be in a state of suspended animation right now. However, the spectre of religio-political militancy is very much there. Endemic poverty, deprivation, pervasive corruption and human rights violation have added fuel to this simmering discontent.
From this context it is indeed heartening to know that steps are now being taken to create a Central Interagency Counter Terrorism Coordination Cell. It is also encouraging to know that a list is being prepared and information updated of alleged smugglers and narcotic dealers who are involved in gun running and trafficking of persons. These are positive steps. I believe that such a list could also be prepared (if not done so already) by other South Asian countries and the relevant information exchanged to facilitate curbing of undesirable militancy and trans-border crimes in a meaningful manner.
This measure can then ensure strategic security for our critical infrastructure. It will also provide an integrated response to terrorism. It will be a challenge and will require political will. I believe that we can rise to the occasion and ring in the change and move forward.
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