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Bangla
crackdown on Islamist ultras
Bangladesh
government has ordered an intensified campaign to crush Islamist militants
as intelligence agencies warned that Jamaatul Mujahideein Bangladesh (JMB)
remnants have regrouped under a new leadership after execution of its six
top leaders. Abdul Karim, Home Secretary, ordered a massive countrywide
drive as security and intelligence agencies officials informed him of the
regrouping of the outfit in a meeting the
Daily Star newspaper
reported today. “The JMB has formed a new committee to run the
organisation after the execution of the six front-ranking leaders in
March,” a security official told the meeting.
Maulana Saidur
Rahman, a former leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami in northeastern
Habiganj, was at the helm of the new leadership, the official said. JMB
suffered a massive blow after the trial and execution of its chief Shaikh
Abdur Rahman, his deputy Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai and four other top
leaders in March.
“We cannot sit idle when the militants are
regrouping in different forms and names,” the newspaper quoted a senior
home ministry official as telling the meeting. JMB had announced its
emergence staging an unprecedented simultaneous blasts in 62 of the 64
districts across Bangladesh three years ago. Officials said the meeting also
decided to launch a massive “de-motivation campaign” in the country so
that people, especially the youths, could not be lured by the militants
through wrong interpretation of Islam involving religious leaders and
clerics.
B’desh should not miss the bus
While
inaugurating an international Indo-Bangla trade fair at Agartala recently,
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries, Jairam Ramesh had
observed: “Bangladesh has a trade deficit with India; but if we compare it
with Tripura, it is seen that the neighbouring country has a huge surplus
over here”.
The Minister
was quite right in his observation. The fact is that, Tripura-Bangladesh
trade balance is willy-nilly tilting in favour of Bangladesh for quite some
time. And the trend is going up by leaps and bounds.
The reports on
Tripura-Bangladesh trade volume says, trade surplus of the neighbouring
country has increased up to four times during last three years. In the year
2004-05, the figure was Rs10.99 crore and in 2005-06, it grew to Rs 28.42
crore. But last year, the surplus trade for Bangladesh took a huge leap and
reached a figure of Rs 47.58 crore.
In contrast,
Tripura is having a negative growth in the trade with Bangladesh .The export
from the State in 2004-05 was Rs1.50 crore but last year it has come down to
Rs 0. 81crore only.
Bangladesh Commerce Ministry may be quite happy
in this situation. But if one takes the overall possibilities of trade and
business between the two nations, it can be said the neighbouring country
has enormous scope of business. On one hand, it can take the advantage of
its geographical position; on the other hand, the locational disadvantage of
Tripura may also be an important positive factor for Bangladesh. For the
last couple of years, Chief Minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar is referring
to Tripura’s dream status as the “Gateway of South-East Asia”. But, as
every one is aware, sans transit facilities through Bangladesh, Tripura can
never become the Gateway of the booming markets of South East Asia. The
capital of Bangladesh – Dhaka is just 150 km from Agartala, and Dhaka to
Kolkata the distance is only 200 km.
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