Editorial
Jamaat challenges the State
The all-out terror must be met with adequate force
With the hanging of the war criminal Abdul Quader Mollah, Jamaat-e-Islam and its student wing Islami Chattra Shibir have engaged in a new cycle of brutal attacks nationwide. At least eight people lost their lives and a hundred vehicles were torched in a single day. Indeed, the incidents of wanton violence against individuals and in some places, religious-minority communities, destruction of commercial properties including factories, offices and residential areas, all indicate that Jamaat is now on a war-footing. Its actions include hit-and-run tactics and the party apparently has chosen to be subversive of the State and its people.
Not only are road and rail links disrupted, the introduction of the volatile "petrol" bombs into the arsenal of so-called protesters have wreaked havoc on citizens, both young and old. Every day, the body count goes up. The economy is reeling under the combined pressure of a near-halt in both import and export. With the supply chain of food disrupted, prices of essentials are experiencing double-digit inflation. We strongly condemn the violent behavior of Jamaat's wave of terroristic activities. We condemn, in no uncertain terms, its attack on the religious minority, the burning, looting and killing of all and sundry. Given the party holding a nation to ransom through its barbaric acts, we would expect the State to deal with the situation decisively. At the end of the day, it is for the government to restore order and protect its citizens from the mayhem that has become all pervasive.
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