Confrontational politics, rise of militancy threaten sovereignty

Terming the August 17 countrywide serial bomb blasts a symbol of muscle power of the religious fanatics, they said the secular space is shrinking in the country.

Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (Bilia) in collaboration with Bangladesh Development Partnership Centre (BDPC) organised the workshop on 'The implementation of the UN Plan of Action on Small Arms: Perspective Bangladesh' at the Bilia auditorium in the city.

Blaming the Harkat-ul Jihad Al-Islam (Huji), Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Hizb-ut Tahrir for masterminding the latest bomb attacks, Bilia Director Wali-ur Rahman said, "They are making our nascent democratic architecture even more fragile."

The latest addition to the terrorist network is the public appearance of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which is the political ideologue of all the terrorist groups in the world, he noted.

"We must tell the world that that the Holy Quran has been misinterpreted by the Wahabis, Salafis, Takfiris and Hizb-ut-Tahrir and they are being financed mostly by the Middle Eastern countries," Wali-ur Rahman said, urging the government to update the banking laws to stop such funding.

The terrorist activities cannot be resisted unless there is an international and regional agreement and a counter-terrorist strategy, he said.

Pointing out a link among arms, black money and election, BDPC Director Sharif A Kafi said the use of illegal arms increases sharply during the major elections in the country.

There are about six lakh illegal gun users in the country and 40 percent of them are below 18 years of age. Most of them are cadres of mainstream political parties, he said.

They join the political parties to misuse power and use the gun not only against political opponents, but also for hired killing, tender snatching, extortion, robbery, mugging, land grabbing, prawn farm grabbing, rape, smuggling and human trafficking, Kafi said in his paper.

He urged the government to adopt and implement the UN Programme of Action or at least set up a national commission on small arms and declare its own programme of action against illegal trade, transfer and use of small arms.

Former ambassador Maj. Gen. (Retd) AMSA Amin said the politicisation of the administration is responsible for the failure to check terrorist operation in the country.

"Unless the government establishes the rule or law, no opposition party can help the government although it has the responsibility to make the parliament fully active," he said.

Speaking as the chief guest, Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said the government is now vetting an anti-terrorist law that might be placed in the next parliament session.

The law will cover the areas of every crime related to financing the terrorist outfits and supporting them ideologically or technologically, which the present Explosives Substances Act does not cover.

The minister assured that he would initiate a dialogue with the foreign ministry on signing the UN Plan of Action on Small Arms.