Editorial
Sponsoring terrorists
A sad tale of BNP's political irresponsibility
The nexus between the BNP-Jamaat alliance government and the JMB, which the media, including this newspaper, had exposed to public knowledge several years back, has once again been confirmed through a very extensive investigative report recently carried by The Daily Star.It reveals many new things and reconfirms many apprehensions that we had been expressing since this radical group first made its vile appearance. It reveals most poignantly how petty partisan considerations can allow a religious obscurantist group the space and provide the support to develop into such a powerful force as to threaten our national security. It surprises us little that the alleged patrons acted in the way they did, given the many acts of indiscretion they and some of their colleagues had indulged in at the expense of national interest, as revealed from the interrogation reports of some of them now in custody. But it worries us a great deal to think that those we had entrusted our security and our nation's interest to had failed to live up to their bounden duty. The matter becomes more agonising when the report reveals that these activities were done under the full knowledge of the then prime minister. Among the most reprehensible of acts of the BNP alliance government was the unabashed denial of the existence of the JMB or Bangla Bhai, rather they claimed, without a flinch or any qualms of conscience, that these were nothing more than a figment of the media's imagination, an invention of the newspapers. It is unacceptable that the nation was made to suffer the agonies of the bombings and the resultant loss of lives, and fingers were pointed at Bangladesh as being a prospective hotbed of Islamic terrorism, when these people were actually being patronised by some influential persons within the government. We are happy to note that the caretaker government has taken cognisance of the matter. Those ministers and deputy ministers who were allegedly involved in sponsoring the terrorists and who had prevented the law enforcing agencies from taking action against these elements when they first made their appearance, have been taken in custody. They deserve the maximum punishment for putting our national security at stake. But the government should also consider appointing a high level committee to inquire in depth about the links and funding of the terrorists and the extent of their influence in our society. By some accounts these elements are regrouping after their setback, which many experts believe may only be temporary
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