Address root causes of terrorism

BEI President Farooq Sobhan speaks at a seminar on 'A strategy for combating terrorism in Bangladesh' at the BEI conference room in the city yesterday. On his right are Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and Nazmul Hasan and on his left is Mehboobur Rehman. PHOTO: STAR

To effectively combat terrorism, there should be a fixed political direction, which will not change with the change of government, and proper coordination among the intelligence agencies, they said.

They also called for properly training the media to deal with the issue.

Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) and the British High Commission jointly organised the two-day seminar on 'A Strategy for combating terrorism in Bangladesh' at BEI conference room in the city.

Inaugurating the seminar, Information Adviser to the caretaker government Mahbubul Alam said terrorism breeds on complex political, social and economic problems and it cannot be fully defeated without national consensus.

In his welcome address, BEI President Farooq Sobhan said, "Although top leaders of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Harkatul Jihad have been captured, much work remains to be done to stamp out terrorism in all its forms. However, no systemic study has so far been undertaken to understand the causes of terrorism nor has there been any initiative to develop a strategy for combating terrorism in Bangladesh."

Asking the future governments not to lapse back into denial of the existence of terrorism and extremism, British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury suggested that the next elected government should finalise the draft of anti-terrorism law and place in parliament at the earliest.

"Some of the roots of extremism are structural and can surface in numerous ways. It's not just about catching the terrorists. There is a need for economic, social and democratic institutions, enhancing educational and employment opportunities, access to justice and police reform," he said in a written speech read out by high commission officer Jason Grimes in the high commissioner's absence.

The British envoy also called for a holistic approach to curbing terrorism.

Former executive director of Bangladesh Bank Nazmul Hasan presented a keynote paper on 'Effective use of anti-money laundering law in curbing terrorism' in the first working session, with former BB governor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair.

Brig Gen (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain was the keynote speaker on 'Capacity building of law enforcing and intelligence agencies in countering terrorism'.

Brig Gen (Retd) Shahedul Anam Khan presented a keynote paper on 'The role of media in countering terrorism' while Maj Gen (Retd) Azizur Rahman presented another paper on 'Border management and cross-border cooperation in countering terrorism'.

Former army chiefs Gen Muhammad Mustifizur Rahman and Lt Gen M Harun-Ar-Rashid, former ambassador Muhammad Zamir, Citigroup Country Officer Mamun Rashid, lead consultant of Bank Consult Mehboobur Rehman and Assistant Editor of The Daily Star Zafar Sobhan took part in the discussion.