Unite to protect democracy

We most heartily rejoice at the news that we have successfully foiled an attempt to topple the democratically elected government.
From the Army Headquarters' press briefing on Thursday, it has become clear that extremist forces at home and abroad are active and are trying to use some misguided army personnel, both in service and retired, to fulfil their extremist agenda.
We are happy that members of the armed forces have been able to frustrate this effort to destabilise the government and protect the democratic process that was re-initiated in 1991 through the ouster of dictatorship in a mass upsurge.
We congratulate the army, especially, its intelligence services, for the efficiency they have demonstrated in early detection of the sinister coup plot and taking timely action to destroy it.
It pains us to recall that it was due mainly to intelligence failures that in the past the army could not prevent a number of coup d'état from taking place in one of which we lost the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members. There were several other coups and counter-coups which decimated a large number of army officers and solders including Liberation War Heroes and sector commanders like General Ziaur Rahman, Khaled Musharraf and Abul Manzur. Those incidents were instrumental in the destruction of democratic institutions and inflicting irreparable damage to the country, civil society and the military establishment.
It is a matter of concern that religious extremism has made inroads into the armed forces. It proves that some ill-motivated quarters are misinterpreting the message of peace in Islam and using their misguided followers to spread religious extremism in the army.
We must realise that the ideological inroads that extremism has made into various segments of our society including the armed forces, has to be countered by a very forceful, coordinated and effective campaign to explain how extremism distorts true Islam.
The government's publicity wings and the media need to launch a massive campaign against these extremist tendencies.
The elements of hidden extremism have to be ferreted out from the army and other sensitive organs of the government and society. However, care should be taken that it does not turn into a tool for witch-hunt.
Finally, we call upon all political parties to refrain from using this incident for partisan ends, but extend their cooperation in fighting the danger of extremism in society.