The Prime Minister's speech regarding the existence of Islamic militants in the country has failed the entire nation as it was an echo of the remarks of her party's coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat) and Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) leaders in and outside the House. In her speech in the Jatiya Sangsad, the PM denied the existence of Taliban and al-Qaeda elements in Bangladesh. She termed the reports about their activities nothing but opposition propaganda against the government, aimed at causing a rift within the four-party alliance. The Prime Minister held the main opposition Awami League (AL) responsible for launching such propaganda.

Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami made similar comments in parliament in his speech on the thanksgiving motion on the President's address. Naming the AL, Mr. Nizami said that the party wants to create a rift within the four-party alliance through discovering the existence of so-called Islamic militancy, because, the AL knows that it would not be possible to win the next elections if the alliance exists. Chairman of a faction of IOJ lawmaker Fazlul Haq Amini reportedly said in public meetings and statements that "an evil force" -- purportedly meaning AL -- has launched the propaganda about Islamic militants to create distance between alliance partners.

What could be the reasons for BNP's volte-face, within a very short span of time about a matter of great importance that for long time has been a vital issue of discussion both at home and abroad, is a matter to ponder. There is no denying the fact that Jamaat and IOJ were very much concerned by the unilateral decision of drive of the government against Islamic militants. It is apparent when, taken aback by the surprise crackdown, the two parties started blasting the decision. The Jamaat and IOJ might have feared that the drive in the long run would open the Pandora's Box which would expose their real face to the nation, because it is open secret that the Jamaat and IOJ are using state mechanism to accelerate their brand of political Islam across the country.

Considering the PM's repetition of the alliance partners' arguments in the parliament, it appears that, firstly, BNP might have dragged its feet in acknowledging the existence of Islamic militants spiraling across the country out of fear of hurting the electoral balance in the next polls. Given the prevailing political equation in the country, BNP badly needs the support of the fundamentalist forces to win the next elections. But BNP should know that the same strategy does not work at all times. If it worked in the last elections it was mainly due to the fact that BNP was then in the opposition and people perhaps expected a change. The same people may want a change in the next elections too.

Secondly, the sudden but necessary move by the government to clamp down on the Islamic militants created strain, as the mission was kept secret from alliance partners within the ruling four-party coalition, to the extent that afterwards Khaleda had to join the chorus with Nizami and Amini to save the alliance from split. As coalition leader, BNP must have passed through a crucial time in the aftermath of the crackdown, as the party high-ups reportedly faced tremendous pressures from a particular alliance partner to stop the drive against the militants. The pressure further intensified as a section in the BNP itself (which included some cabinet members) reportedly sided with the anti-clampdown group.

Another coalition partner IOJ publicly severely criticised the government for raiding Kawmi Madrasas and harassment of its activists across the country. How aggrieved the IOJ leaders had been was indicated when, putting aside their differences, leaders of both faction of IOJ headed by Fazlul Haq Amini and Allama Azizul Haq in a joint statement on February 27 protested the move and demanded that prior consultation among the coalition partners should have taken place before any such move was undertaken. IOJ leaders also threatened that if the government does not stop harassing its leaders and activists, their party is likely to take a strong stand against crackdown and may even desert the coalition. So, to placate the wrath of coalition partners, BNP did not seem to have any other alternative but to retreat from its earlier stand.

Last but not the least was perhaps the worry caused by the defection on March 8 of a top leader of Bangladesh Jatiya Party (a component of the ruling coalition) Mr. Firoz Rashid and his joining Ershad-led Jatiya Party, because BNP's main concern is AL and formation of a separate alliance of rightwing parties. Keeping these two things in mind, BNP's aim is to keep AL isolated from other parties and prevent formation of another alliance of rightwing parties. As BNP seems to be very suspicious about Ershad, so perhaps it must not try to antagonise its present alliance partners by acknowledging the existence of militancy in the country.

After BNP's open denial of the existence of fundamentalist force in the country, meanwhile, questions have arisen among the public regarding the halt in the government's crackdown on the Islamic militants, given the fact that Siddiqul Islam (alias Bangla Bhai), the operational commander of JMJB, as well as its spiritual leader Abdur Rahman, continue to elude arrest. Apart from raiding the house and madrasa of arrested Asadullah Al Galib, chief of Ahale Hadith Bangladesh, in Rajshahi, law enforcers have not taken any significant initiative to conduct further raids based on reported clues given by Galib. The law enforcers have only arrested some lower tier activists of JMJB and JMB, a move that many have dubbed mere "eyewash."

BNP should stop playing the game of "eyewash" forthwith, because to quote Abraham Lincoln -- you can fool some of the people all of time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Lincoln's saying appeared to ring true when the newly appointed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her trip to South Asia reportedly said that Bangladesh is becoming "quite troubling."

After Dr. Rice's remark, BNP now seems to be in a dilemma over the strategy to tackle the Islamic militancy issue. Whether the government continues with the crackdown to gain confidence of the international community or stops it to avoid a possible rift in the coalition is anybody's guess. But what is discernible is that if BNP continues with the drive it will hurt its coalition partners which it had used as a vote bank to win the last elections, and if BNP stops the drive the donor agencies and western countries, particularly the US, may go for sterner measures, for which the whole nation may have to pay a heavy price in course of time.

The author is a freelance contributor to The Daily Star.