Combating militancy brooks no let-up
REPORTS have that it religious militants have struck extensive roots thanks to years of overlooking. The recent home ministry revelation puts the number of Islamic militant outfits at 31. Prof. Barakat has referred to seven key investment sectors of terror finance and annual recruitment of one million militants. Allegedly due to leniency of the BNP-Jamaat regime, militants strengthened their foothold, which has reached today's alarming proportions.
Militants thrive because of the mushrooming of quomi madrassahs, which impart name-only education, mostly to boys of poor backgrounds. With the kind of impractical, religious education they receive, they find themselves unfit to do anything in life. Frustrated, they fall easy prey to those who nourish a secret agenda in the guise of promoting sublime Islamic values. These ill-motivated quarters take the advantage of their poverty to draw many have-nots into their fold with money and religious indoctrination.
The horrendous militancy issue has not cropped up overnight. When religious terrorism first appeared, the then government flatly refused to even take it into cognisance, let alone proceed against it.
Who does not know that religious extremists wreaked havoc under the noses of law enforcing agencies in northern districts? They killed their adversaries in broad daylight, unleashing a reign of terror. They even forced people to pay tolls in the name of jihad, with the knowledge of the pliant administration. Some political black sheep allegedly harboured them, so the police looked the other way while they were carrying out mindless atrocities.
In 2005, a horrible spate of militancy shook us through serial bombings in 60 districts, and killing of judges and lawyers, artistes, and commoners. Faced with rising public sentiments, the then government had to eat humble pie and conduct a crackdown on the militants, leading to the arrest and trial of their kingpins.
The execution of the top militants dismantled the militants. They went into hibernation temporarily to re-emerge with vengeance, as it is feared they are doing now.
Despite the busting of militants' dens, their preparations have continued almost unabated, thus resulting in a well-entrenched build-up across the country. What looks most ominous is the emerging threat of terror strikes anywhere on the heels of BDR carnage, in which many suspect there were invisible militant hands.
If that suspicion is true, the militants must have been terribly emboldened by successful execution of the brutal mayhem to try further misadventures. That is what makes it imperative to deal with the phenomenal rise of militancy in the country on a war footing. Otherwise, militancy might recur with morefrequency, maybe after a lull.
Against this appalling backdrop, the government move to unearth possible sources of terror financing is quite in order. But, the more the drum-beating about it, the less will be the chance of finding evidence, as the alerted financers will erase all clues of dubious transactions. Instead, meticulous searching sans media hype may yield better results.
One important side to terror financing has perhaps escaped notice. The terror finance might not have come through the banking channel, and in case did, it must have been disguised so it could not be traced. Whatever the case, underestimating the militants and their backers will be a blunder.
Some say that the NGOs approved in ex-social welfare minister Mujahidi's stint may be responsible for terror financing. That a large chunk of Tk.90,000 crores worth of foreign finance received by NGOs during the previous regime has gone into militants' hands (Samakal, March 20) horrifies us, thus inviting urgent investigation.
One means of terror finance might be through remittances by hundi, which remains out of the purview of the probe. What is the way to destroy the route? Bangladesh's entry into global anti-terror financing networks might be a worthwhile step.
One imperative is the dissemination of Islam's message of peace and love in the society, which would help stem the misguiding indoctrination. Increased investment to generate employment on a wider scale will discourage the poor from committing desperate acts of militancy.
Religious education needs streamlining with modern education, so it can hold out job prospects to all. Last but not the least is the need for restructuring the intelligence outfits, and installing a comprehensive counter-terrorism mechanism for upgrading our intelligence capability to track newer security dimensions.
Md. Ali Akbar is a Deputy Secretary.
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