Editorial
Political use of CID
Khaleda Zia's govt deliberately influenced investigation
The report that the CID has filed a case against three of its former investigators for allegedly misdirecting the probe into the August 21 grenade attack only confirms what we have all long suspected: that the investigative capabilities of the authorities have long been politically used and the time has come to develop it professionally.
The derailment of the investigation into the August 21 grenade attack from the very word 'go' and the accusation frame-up against one Joj Mia were manifest reflections of political and partisan use of the law enforcement agencies by the four-party alliance government. Thus there is the big need now to develop the investigative and prosecution capacities along purely professional lines.
We are gratified to see that steps are being taken to re-open earlier investigations, to bring the guilty to justice, and most importantly, to clear out from the investigative agencies those who colluded with the denial of justice in past cases. This is a commendable and long overdue move.
Indeed, August 21 is only one of many unresolved atrocities on a list that extends back decades. Sweeping matters as serious as this under the rug is simply not good enough. The people, especially the families of the deceased, deserve better. We all need to be able to live our lives safe and secure, which is not possible if violence continue to occur and those responsible can evade justice with impunity.
The gravity of the current situation only underscores how crucial it is for us to have state of the art investigative capabilities, and that the concerned agencies are not only completely professional and non-partisan, but also that they are manned, equipped, and funded sufficiently to do their jobs and keep the nation safe from plots to destabilise it.
Right now the authorities are undertaking an extremely serious investigation with far-reaching implications, and much depends on their ability to get to the bottom of the matter.
There is no more pressing concern for the country than to be able to get to the bottom of the Pilkhana carnage and the lengthy list of unresolved atrocities that have preceded it. It is not too much to say that our political stability depends on the success of these investigations, and that we need to thoroughly overhaul our investigative capabilities to ensure this. The nation's security deserves nothing less.
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