Minister in denial mode!

We are surprised at the comments of the State Minister for Home on Friday where he ruled out the presence of JMB outfit, or for that matter any militant organisation in Bangladesh. What are we to make of the comments? Should we understand that all the militant groups have been totally obliterated from our soil? What are indicators to back up his assertion?

This is rank injudicious comment and negates the good work that the present government has done so far in combating the phenomenon of religious extremism. It is a matter of great comfort that the law enforcing agencies in the country have been proactive in this regard. Whereas, we have witnessed many acts of terrorist violence in our region over the last several years, mostly perpetrated by religious extremists, we have been fortunate not to have been visited by such calamities. However, there is no reason to be smug about it. We would hope that the government is fully aware of the harmful consequences of complacency in this matter that can only bring disaster for us.

It should be understood that the only way extremism can be obliterated completely, if at all, is by removing the causes that help its germination. At present there are 12 proscribed extremist groups in the country and one cannot say with certainty that all of them have been neutralised fully. Some of them with agenda of their own also find sustenance and indeed sponsorship from across the border. These are realities the government must internalise and address the menace accordingly.