For peace, the begums of Bangladesh need to make up

The terror strike at an upmarket restaurant in Dhaka’s posh diplomatic enclave, on July 1, is Bangladesh’s 26/11 moment. Life in Dhaka will never be the same again and yet, what is it about this attack that has made warning bells ring in the subcontinent?

Bangladesh is no stranger to violence. Isolated strikes against individuals for obvious acts of commission or omission have occurred frequently. We’ve all heard the reports of the gruesome killings of secular bloggers — both Muslim and Hindu — and non-Muslim priests. However, what sent shock waves through the country after the Gulshan tragedy is that all the perpetrators of this heinous crime were local Bangladeshi youth who studied in reputed schools, were enrolled in prestigious  domestic and foreign universities, and belonged to well-to-do, respectable middle-class families.

While earlier attacks were carried out with knives, machetes and other similar weapons, this time the attackers were fully equipped with firearms, guns, ammunition and sharp weapons. They chose a place frequented by foreigners who, as in 26/11, became the focus of the massacre. They chose a soft target to garner maximum publicity and create fear in minds of the West. They chose non-Muslims and non-Bangladeshis to be mercilessly butchered. An Indian doctor who spoke Bengali well was spared because he was able to convince them that he was a Bangladeshi. Others who could recite verses from the Koran were also let off. The final list of those killed included nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, one American, two Bangladeshis, two policemen and five terrorists.

Islamic State (IS) immediately claimed responsibility for the assault although the Bangladeshi government stated that local outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) with no links to IS had masterminded this horrific incident. Senior Bangladesh officials accused Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan for being linked to the attack through its connection with Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), which has a strong connection with JMB. As was to be expected, this charge was denied vehemently by Pakistan. Investigations are in progress and it will be some days before a clear picture emerges.

The attack is a wake-up call for Bangladeshi polity and leadership, which has so far been living in denial that Islamic radical forces have not infiltrated the body politic of the country. It is deeply worrisome if youth belonging to relatively well-to-do strata of society and from renowned educational institutions can be indoctrinated so easily.

The fact that leaders of  two major parties in the country do not speak with each other does not bode well for democracy or the future. It is mortifying that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and leader of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Begum Khaleda Zia are emotionally still living in the aftermath of the 1971 conflict when Awami League fought for independence, but BNP opposed severing ties with Pakistan. I recall that during my tenure in Dhaka in 1993, both leaders were invited for an iftar dinner by a prominent businessman who naively thought that he could engineer a rapprochement between the two. Begum Zia was the Prime Minister and Sheikh Hasina the leader of Opposition. Both begums sat in chairs next to each other but facing different directions. Not a word was exchanged between them the whole evening.

Today after 23 years, I don’t think that situation has improved. It appears to have further deteriorated on account of the elections of 2014, which were boycotted by BNP, and recent verdicts by the war crimes tribunal.

If the tide of radicalisation in the country is to be reversed, both begums will need to work together to fill up crevices in the polity where  destabilising elements get breathing space to prosper.

It is reported that some attackers were inspired by extremist orators like Mumbai-based Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik, Bengaluru-based IS loyalist Mehdi Masroor Biswas and others. India needs to be vigilant that such controversial ideologues command a huge following the world over.

I was astounded to witness a fiery address by Zakir Naik recently at a well-heeled reputable venue in central Delhi and  observe the reverence and veneration he received from the congregated Muslim youth. Their impressionable minds can be indoctrinated to commit perfidious crimes.

India and Bangladesh need to collaborate in intelligence gathering and sharing, training, conducting joint exercises and patrols along the border so that such criminal operations are nipped in the bud. We are fortunate that India has not suffered an attack similar to the Dhaka tragedy, but we should not push our luck too far. It is essential to device joint, multi-pronged strategies to ensure that such evil designs don’t succeed in the country or the region.