Time to call a spade a spade
A plain-speaking citizen, Uttara, Dhaka
Now that The Scotland Yard investigators have reasons to suspect that some Islamic fundamentalist groups were behind the bombing incident at Shahjalal Dargah, they should go much deeper into it and find out the root causes behind the incident. As a clear thinking citizen of Bangladesh, I believe that it does not require a Scotland Yard team or some super Hercule Poirot to say that quite a number of Islamic fundamentalist extremist groups have set up their bases in Bangladesh. This is known to people who have been following reports published in international journals like the Far Eastern Economic Review or Time-Asia Magazine. Recent events in some of the northern districts of Bangladesh also clearly point out that these extremist groups are very much in existence in the country. We also know that some political parties, now in the coalition government, have always patronised their activities. Are the police really interested in knowing about them and arresting them, or are they interested in protecting and helping them in getting stronger and stronger? Recent police-behaviour in Sylhet, northern districts and other police actions in investigating incidents like the CUFL jetty arms haul indicate that these extremists are actually working under police protection. If the police really wanted they could have arrested them, by this time, contacted some of the foreign reporters like Messrs. Bertil Lintner and Alex Perry to gather more information about the extremists. Instead, the government is following a policy of stout denial about the existence of such Taliban like groups in Bangladesh.
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. PHOTO: AFP |
