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Look East for terror: Will India blame Bangladesh?
Published on Sat, May 17, 2008 at 07:46, Updated on Sun, May 18, 2008 at 20:20 in Nation section
Tags: Face The Nation, Jaipur Blasts
UNDER THE SHADOW OF GUN: Bangladesh-based HuJI is suspected to have masterminded the Jaipur blasts.
India has not blamed any country for the serial blasts in Jaipur on Tuesday but the suspicion lies heavily on Bangladesh-based terrorists.
Authorities suspect the serial blasts were carried out by the Harkat-ul Jehad-e-Islami (HUJI), a radical Islamic group which was formed in Bangladesh and which is believed to have supporters hiding among Bangladeshi immigrants in Indian cities.
HUJI has been blamed for the attack on the American Center in Kolkata, the 2005 Delhi serial blasts, the attack on the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the Sankat Mochan Mandir attacks in Varanasi, Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad and the serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh courts.
According to the shopkeepers who sold the cycles used in the Jaipur blasts, the buyers spoke in Bengali accents. The Rajasthan government has decided to throw out all illegal Bangladeshis migrants in the state. Forty Bangladeshi nationals have been detained and are being interrogated, said a state minister.
Security experts allege Bangladesh has become a breeding ground for Islamic fundamentalists and the latest source of terrorism. Is that allegation true? Is Bangladesh now India’s new source of terror?
CNN-IBN’s Vidya Shankar Aiyar asked this to Jaideep Saikia, security analyst and writer of Bangladesh: Treading the Taliban Trail, G Parthasarathy, India’s former envoy to Pakistan and a commentator on national security issues, and Nurul Kabir, editor of the New Age daily in Dhaka.
Parthasarathy called Bangladesh an “old source of terror”, not new. “When I was ambassador to Myanmar in 1992-1995, Bangladeshi leader Khaleda Zia and her Bangladesh National Party in their first term of government provide active assistance to the ULFA, the Nagas (NSCN) and the PLA of Manipur,” he said.
“When Khaleda Zia came back to power the second time, the September 11 attacks had taken place and Americans had attacked Afghanistan. HUJI moved from Afghanistan-Pakistan to Bangladesh. HUJI was close to Jamaat-e-Islami, which was close to Zia.”
“Zia encouraged HUJI. The Bangladesh army, like the Pakistan army, has links with Islamist organisations,” said Parthasarathy.
HUJI, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), or Jaish-e-Mohammed-the lines between Islamic terror groups have started to blur, said Saikia. “When you talk about a terror attack in South Asia or India, there could be HUJI involvement but there could be a LeT or Jaish-e-Mohammed hand too.”
“These groups are interchangeable and Bangladesh is not a new source of terror but a very old source of terror,” said Saikia.
Bangladeshi journalist Kabir admitted that his country is facing the problem of “Islamic extremism” but said it was because of national, regional and international reasons.
The Bangladesh government has tried to contain extremism by arresting Islamic radicals and by taking political action. The world must note that Bangladesh comprises its people, culture government, political parties and not terrorists, said Kabir.
Proof against Bangladesh
Yes, Bangladesh has taken action against extremist groups but all that has been cosmetic, alleged Saikia. “Cosmetic action has been taken against JMB (Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh) and JMJB (Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh) but little has been done against HUJI or Jamaat-e-Islami, which are the real perpetrators of extremism.”
Yes and no, said Kabir when asked if Saikia’s allegations were correct. The Bangladesh government has acted against JMB and JMJB but it hasn’t gone after other such groups satisfactorily. “The Jamaat-e-Islami remains a legal political party and though there are allegations against it nothing has been proved legally,” he said.
Kabir said extremism in Bangladesh is a human problem and South Asian countries must solve it “politically, economically and philosophically”.
Bangladesh is a greater source of terror because the US attention is now on Pakistan, said Saikia. “With the closure of the Afghan bureau of Pakistan’s Inter-services Itelligence, its desk in Decca has been reactivated and it’s launching attacks on India,” he said.
Kabir admitted his country has extremists but reminded that South Asian nations can fight terrorism better if they have good ties. “In that case if any administration-India, Pakistan or Bangladesh-points fingers at a particular country before proper investigation then it will harm relations and it won’t solve problems.”
India cannot choose its neighbours but the blame lies with us too, said Parthasarathy. “Criminalisation of politics and corruption has made it more difficult to deal with terrorism,” Parthasarathy said.
He accepted India, currently, has nothing to show which justifies making accusations against Bangladesh. “We shouldn’t do it but if I were to make a choice between Pakistan and Bangladesh it would be like choosing between Tweedledum and Tweedledee,” he said.
SMS question on Is Bangladesh now India’s new source of terror?
Yes: 82 per cent
No: 18 per cent
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