Socio-political drive against militancy limps
The government's six-month old massive socio-political drive involving 14 different agencies to educate people and closely monitor militant activities at grassroots level has stumbled down due to lack of fund and supervision.
Formed in April the 17-member committee spearheaded by the state minister for home so far saw only two meetings in the last six months. The third meeting will sit today.
Till now, the authorities could hardly implement any decisions made in the last two meetings. In some cases, the progress was zero.
The initiatives include anti-militancy publicity campaigns and screening documentaries by information ministries, training imams, organising anti-militancy campaigns at madrasas and others.
Under the initiatives imams are to deliver anti-militancy sermons after Jum'a prayers and training on anti-militancy motivation would be imparted to chairmen and members of union parishads.
This campaign massively involves around 50.3 lakh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) members for the first time as the networks of the two agencies have spread even in the remotest parts of the country where neither Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) nor police have regular access.
The force is yet to be engaged in collecting information on militant suspects, as the government is still to decide on the funds needed for training and other purposes.
"Proper implementation of those decisions and initiatives would have yielded significant result in curbing militancy, but you will hardly see any publicity campaigns in media, anti-militancy sermons by imams," said a top law enforcer who is also a member of the meeting.
He also said engaging union parishad chairmen and members and ansars is also far from reality.
"The committee would have been the best platform to tackle militancy in the country, but so far it has failed to reach the expected level," said a top law enforcer seeking anonymity. He also said proper monitoring is needed to make the forum successful.
Asked about the reasons for the failure in implementing the decisions, member secretary of the committee and joint secretary (political) at the home ministry Kamal Uddin Ahmed said probably it is taking some time to come out of the traditional mould.
"From now we will expedite the implementation of the decisions," said Kamal who recently has taken the charge.
Director General (DG) of Ansar and VDP Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam told The Daily Star that the initiative of involving his force has not yet been fruitful.
He said to use the network of his force it needs funds for training and monitoring activities.
DG of Islami Foundation Bangladesh Shamim Mohammad Afzal said they have instructed imams of the capital and elsewhere to deliver anti-militancy sermons after Jum'a prayers and they are doing accordingly.
Told that all imams are not following the instruction, he said he would monitor and take step so that all abide by the direction.
Other members of the committee are secretaries of the ministries of home, education, law, religious affairs, social welfare, LGRD and cooperatives, and information, the inspector general of police, chiefs of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, Bangladesh Rifles, Ansar and VDP, National Security Intelligence and Rapid Action Battalion and the director general of Prime Minister's Office.
Each of these ministries and authorities has been given specific tasks.
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