Editorial
Arrest of militant kingpin
Unabated action needed till all are nabbed
The law enforcing agencies must be commended for the dramatic capture of Mufti Hannan, a kingpin of the Islamic militants in Bangladesh. This is indeed a big success. Hannan is known to be the commander of the Bangladesh chapter of the international Islamist militant organisation Harkat-ul-Jihad who, given his antecedents, may well be involved in the countrywide bomb blast of 17th August. The capture of the prime accused in the plot to kill the then Prime Minister Sheik Hasina is a very welcome development, which is definitely a feather in the cap of the intelligence and the law enforcing agencies.This is a big success and one that we hope will lead to further arrests, particularly of the masterminds behind these acts, and also of the Islamic extremists in Bangladesh that are active to destabilise the country. However, we cannot but note the strange claims that Hannan has made of official assurances of 'no fear' which of course the current minister for commerce and the then home minister, has rebutted. We are convinced that a determined police force can unearth any mystery or apprehend any criminal if allowed the space and opportunity to operate freely, as they have so amply demonstrated in the recent spate of arrests post 17th August. This major step forward in roping the suspects of the bomb blasts must be carried forward with grit and determination, knowing fully well that there may be extraneous pressure to bridle the activities of the agencies. We feel that there is no alternative but to have the masterminds and the party cadres of the Islamist underground organisations, involved in the nefarious activities in Bangladesh, brought to justice. And to this end there must be neither any let up in the resolve of the government nor of the ceaseless activities of all the agencies concerned. What these religious extremists are up to has nothing to do with Islam and even less to do with the bettering the lot of the people. And the sooner they are nabbed the better it will be for us.
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