But the report has also claimed that the Harakatul-Ul-Jihad-I, a terrorist group, is operating in Bangladesh. The matter of grave concern is that the group is reported to be linked to the al-Qaeda network. Now, the government must place the whole thing in the right perspective. The appreciation of our role vis-à-vis terrorism should not blur our vision when it comes to handling the tricky question of the presence of militant outfits in the country. Nor will outright denial of any such irritant being present here help us. In fact, it is no longer a secret that the activities of some organisations operating in the name of religion are being viewed with great suspicion by the international community. The recent crackdown on the suspected militants was proof enough that the government itself had deemed it necessary to act against them. But the move has fizzled out for inexplicable reasons. Then do we have to believe that the whole exercise was for public consumption only? Either it has been abandoned under the pressure from the rightist groups or it lacked the substance that could have made it a worthwhile attempt to wipe out the militants.

The State Department report says that the Harakat has six camps in Bangladesh and is suspected to have links to the attempt in July 2000 on the life of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. So the danger that such organisations pose needs no elaboration.

There is little doubt that the militant outfits are the principal beneficiaries of the government's failure to catch the criminals responsible for the recent bomb attacks and killings. It is time the government acted with greater determination to neutralise the fundamentalist challenge.