Bomb blasts and security loopholes
The bombers also left leaflets at the explosion sites, saying that these blasts, all at a time, were just to prove their strength. Did they try to implicate that they were capable of a takeover? If that was the case, what can be a more demeaning for those steering the state machinery? However, some stray security measures were taken with some arrests, the reaction of the ruling elite to these blasts was more flippant than anxious. Imagine what would have been the reaction of, say, India or Pakistan, not to talk about a few developed countries? What would have they done if bomb exploded in all their provinces or districts? It should be anybody's guess: they would have used all their might to uproot the bombers within the soonest possible time.
On the contrary, Bangladesh seems to take unusually long time, trying to pass on the buck to the scourge of international terrorism. Considerable time has passed after August 17; the militants allegedly responsible for the incidents continued with their mission and as part of it, killed two judges. Besides, members of suicide squad of bomb-happy outfit have again struck amid a threatening spree. Suicide attacks, Bangladesh's first, on November 29, at two court premises followed by another a couple of days later have left quite a number of persons dead.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. These seemed to have moved the administration for taking some measures. But, measures so far, according to press reports, among others, that have been taken by the government are: a. increasing the number of security personnel; b. starting to make sure that its secret service agencies deliver; c. engaging members of Rapid Action Battalion and police to arrest militants.
While these measures are welcome by members of he public, there are still some security loopholes that may overshadow all these efforts.
Confused public: Ever since the blasts began to plague Bangladesh, political parties have been accusing each other for these incidents. The opposition parties have been blaming the government party and its allies to these blasts and the rise of militancy. A few Islamic parties have identified Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh to be behind the blasts. One or two members of the government party have also pointed their fingers at Jamaat. The opposition parties have continued their tall-talks without playing any role to encounter the scourge. On the top of everything, the government has been saying that "a section" was trying to create chaos in the country, without explaining who "a section" really is. Now, as blames and counter-blames may sound irritating, they are also making the public highly insecure. Why? Because these are likely to plunge the people into utter confusion. Here lies the strategic flaws on the part of a nation. If political parties themselves play a catalytic role in making the public confused, there's no meaning talking about security for them. A confused mass is not an easy bunch to lead.
"Visible" patrolling: Bomb incidents of August 17 scale usually require "highly visible" security patrolling to prevent them. While the government says it has taken all measures to prevent bombers from manufacturing, carrying and exploding bombs, very little has been done to ensure that. Anyone touring Dhaka city would see the lack of "visible" security patrol. It is only the TV news bulletins that are showing visuals of security checks. In reality, security personnel deployed in Dhaka hardly do any vigorous check they are supposed to. Without any "visible" security, we may not be able to deter the bombers.
Who and what: Are our intelligence agencies proving to be ineffective? If they could deliver, incidents such as August 21 and August 17 wouldn't have occurred in the first place. Our police and the elite force, RAB, were seen to arrest a few alleged militants and uncover some tiny bomb-making ghettoes, recovering some bomb-making substances. But do they have any idea where the amount of explosives used on August 17 came from? Absolutely no clue on it! Do they find it hard to believe that these militants are "capable" of running big terrorist attacks? It seems they are yet to realise intensity of their (militants') firepower. And with suicide attackers now in the scene, wouldn't it be close to impossible for these security forces to tackle the situation?
Again, "what" actually are we looking for? Are we looking for firearms or explosives? The present situation certainly warrants looking for explosives. But the way our security forces are handling explosives is a matter of grave concern. They are seen handling bombs without any protection. On the other hand, militants seem to be more experienced with explosives that our security officials are.
Armed forces: The gravity of the August 17 countrywide serial blasts followed by recent incidents suggests that an all-out action needs to be in place. Any other country would have waged a war against the militants immediately after the attacks. And the best way to fight them might be using our armed forces. The implication of August 17 was that it was an attack on our sovereignty. And when the country's sovereignty is at stake, the armed forces have to be brought in. Well, the government may have reasons for not to call them in, but they can at least plug the holes through which illegal weapons and/or explosives enter into the country. We do have some members of our armed forces in RAB, but they don't seem enough. Their number needs to be increased. If the armed forces can be used in other parts of the world for keeping peace, they can also be used for the same purpose in their own country.
Conclusion: Bangladesh is a geographically small nation-state. Formulating a national security strategy for it should not be too difficult. The present situation certainly demands a long-term security plan against terror and violence. Our national policy-formulators must have seen that the concept of security has witnessed a sea-change at the global level. Side by side with macro issues of security, the micro issues, such as theoretical and technological know-how of security personnel, are also getting high priority. Security, these days, means peace in citizens' minds; and the present crisis calls for an all-out effort to contain terror for the sake of peace.