The AL recently initiated steps to unite all left leaning parties to launch movement against the extremist outfits.

Even at yesterday's public rally orginsed to protest frequent bomb blasts at different places the opposition leader asked the people to unite against the ruling BNP-Jamat coalition what she said harbours the religious fanatics.

After repeated death threats and attacks on Sheikh Hasina, the Opposition Leader in Parliament on July 5 this year filed a general diary with the Dhanmondi Police Station seeking security of her life, but to no effect. The government, so far, has not taken any step to thwart threatening attempts on the former prime minister's life.

On April 2 this year, Hasina's motorcade came under attack as it reached Gouranadi in Barisal.

Prior to yesterday's attack, the AL leadership on four occasions this year came under attacks at Barisal, Sylhet, Sunamganj, and Gazipur.

In last five years at least 140 people were killed at bomb blasts in different places and of them, AL leaders and workers alone account for 40. But none has yet been brought to book for these heinous acts.

Political observers believe the more the AL leaders and activists get united in opposition to the religious extremists the more frequent the attacks on them get.

Many eyewitnesses said the way yesterday's blast was carried out suggests AL President Shiekh Hasina was the prime target of the barbaric act. Fortunately, she narrowly escaped the bloody attack that left at least 14 people dead and over 200 injured including AL top brass.

On June 16, 2001 as many as 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb attack on AL office at Narayanganj.

Within three months, eight people were killed and more than 100 injured in yet another bomb attack on an AL public rally this time at Mollarhat in Bagerhat.

Only three days into the Bagerhat blast, four more people were killed in a bomb blast right next to an AL rally in Sunamganj on September 26.

In July this year at least three people died when a bomb exploded in an AL public meeting in Sunamganj.

Besides, a number of AL leaders died in acts of violence perpetrated against them during the current BNP-Jamaat regime.

On May 8 may this year AL lawmaker Ahsanullah Master was killed in a hail of bullets at a party meeting in Gazipur while Manjurul Imam and Mamtazuddin Ahmed were killed in Khulna and Natore.

Then on August 7 Sylhet City Corporation Mayor Badruddin Kamran escaped an apparent attempt on his life in Sylhet.