In a smokescreen of political rhetoric remain hidden the fact as to who actually are in action perpetrating letter-perfect such bizarre serial crimes and killings in the country. Criminologists, security and situation analysts groping in the dark over daylight and daring strikes fail to find an answer. As such, offer of external help from various quarter cam as a brain-teaser.National political consensus essential to curbing militancy
Confessing claims for commission by Islamist outfits like Islamic State (IS) or Ansar al-Islam and subsequent disclaimer by
governments internal security ministry make the situation
all the more muddled-up for the analysts
Prof. Sarwar Md. Saifullah Khaled
In a smokescreen of political rhetoric remain hidden the fact as to who actually are in action perpetrating letter-perfect such bizarre serial crimes and killings in the country. Criminologists, security and situation analysts groping in the dark over daylight and daring strikes fail to find an answer. As such, offer of external help from various quarter cam as a brain-teaser.
Confessing claims for commission by Islamist outfits like Islamic State (IS) or Ansar al-Islam and subsequent disclaimer by governments internal security ministry make the situation all the more muddled-up for the analysts to come to a conclusion as to who really are those who are doing the cruelties and to what definitive end(s). But one thing is certain no mystery about it valuable lives are being lost and society, country, politics and even economy are getting destabilized beyond ultimate reparation.
There are, however, three forthright answers from as many directions: from the United States (US), from the government and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The US position: there is the IS presence in Bangladesh, and after every incident of what is dubbed target killings their cyber-intelligence SITE, in no time, reports that the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for it. The government authorities on their part assert there is no IS no external militant outfit in the country.
Then what? The Prime Minister (PM) repeatedly says Its BNP-Jamaat axis which is now patronising secret killings having failed to oust government through burning people to death openly in the street. The BNP soon retaliates: To cover up capturing power through flawed elections, mega corruption and bank lootings, the government is sponsoring big crimes. In a latest rebuttal to the PMs accusation, a senior BNP leader said, It is not for the prime minister, the head of government, to complain; it is the responsibility of the PM to bring culprits to justice. So, wherein the truth lies remains a mystery, or so it seems.
Unraveling the mysteries is a common plea from all who are vocal at TV talk shows, seminars and forums of brainstorming. Or else, they warn, it may be too late for the politicians to close their ranks for an internal solution. At a May Day rally in the capital BNP chairperson and ex-PM renewed her offer of dialogue with the government to forge a common stand on the issue and wage a joint combat to stop the killings. The BNP chairperson also left a note of caution: Time is short for them (ruling Awami League) to come to terms.
From a simultaneous May Day discussion, BNP chairpersons political archrival, however, repeated her point that it is BNP-Jamaat duo that is to blame for the waves of serious crimes and serial killings. That apparently scuttles any probability of a political consensus, as of now. But the situation is getting complicated fast with terrible things happening almost every passing day and the US and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies in the European Union (EU) expressing their willingness to assist Bangladesh in tackling the on going situation.
The murder of Xulhaz Mannan, a USAID personnel and former protocol officer at the US embassy in Dhaka, and his friend in a home raid at Kalabagan, Dhaka, provided a strong ground for Washingtons stance. The US Secretary of State John Kerrys direct phone call to the PM and a follow-up State Department press briefing focus on the Bangladesh situation alarmed many of the analysts. What transpired between the two sides in the phone talk is anybodys guess. But a repeat of the help offer was there may be taken as an inference.
The home ministers reported statement that Bangladesh needs no external (military) help to control militancy bears a hint at arm-twisting. The home minister in a BBC interview, however, sought US advance intelligence about militants acts and technological assistance and training. Adding that Bangladesh is taking such assistance from Australia and India he said, They wanted to provide assistance. We hope they will do so.
The US move stirred up manifold musings: The US tries to make the government admit that there is IS in Bangladesh. Then in case of admission itll be easy to deploy military, said an analyst at a talk show on Rtv on May 02, 2016 night. A professor of the University of Dhaka, who lost his only son in one of the militant-style attacks on bloggers and freethinkers, told the same on-air discussion that Bangladesh and India are in agreement with the United States to help fight militancy, which is what instigated the militants into extending their sphere over the subcontinent. About a way of averting getting involved in the strife he said Though agreed, neither should join the (US-led) anti-militancy war.
A journalist at another talk show principally on the same issue a day before had quipped: seeking US help implies courting what is happening in Iraq, Syria, Libya, the Middle-East. Amid such a flurry of talks on the serial killings and serious crimes as well as US offer of help in anti-militancy fight, a moot question cropped up: why the law-enforcing agencies could not track down the perpetrators of such virtual freestyle attacks even at daytime? Did they fail? The answer was it should not yet be called failure. It is they who had rounded up militants of local networks in the past.
One suggestion implies that there might be a lack of political will. A security analyst said Law enforcers are not yet a spent force they have not pulled up the extreme of their abilities. He, however, sees two potential weapons of combat: political will and a cultural movement. At this point of the on-stream exchange of thoughts, another journalist who is close to the forum of journalists leant towards the ruling party drew a conclusion that the militants have internal-external connectivity and that only depending on law-enforcing agencies, such acts of militancy cannot be checked. He said Sources of terror financing have to be plugged, and political consensus is an imperative for an effective combat.
As per reports, Ansar al-Islam claimed responsibility for the double murder at Kalabagan. It is an insurgent Sunni group in Iraq and Syria. The group was established in Iraq in 2001 as a Salafist Islamist movement that imposed a strict application of Sharia in villages it controlled near the Iranian border. Its ideology follows a literal interpretation of the Holy Quran and promotes a return to the example of the first Muslims (Salaf). Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it became an insurgent group which fought against the US-led forces and their Iraqi allies. The group continued to fight the Iraqi government following the withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq, and sent members to Syria to fight the government following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War.
Meanwhile, a new group appeared in the twilight arena under the name Islamic Liberation Front that issued death threat on ten personalities of Rajshahi, where massive protests are still on against the killing of Rajshahi University English teacher Prof Rezaul Karim Siddiqee. Under the circumstances, it seems, the journalists view stands. If external active aid to combat militants to the massacre in the country is to be avoided, the unity of internal forces political one is seen as pivotal remains the last resort. We hope our politicians will honestly rise up to the occasion.
The writer is a retired Professor of Economics
