The Bangladesh-born British high commissioner, who sustained wounds in a grenade attack on him at the Hazrat Shah Jalal Shrine last year, Thursday expressed his disappointment over the progress in the investigation.

"Those attackers must be brought to justice. It must be given the highest priorities because I feel, perhaps not unduly, it does have a huge impact on Bangladesh's image abroad, and that is a shame," he told diplomatic correspondents.

The four much talked-about blasts that sent a chill of horror across the country last year are the bomb blast at the Hazrat Shah Jalal Shrine on January12, grenade attack on the British high commissioner on May 21, grenade blast on a car shortly after an AL meeting at Gulshan Hotel on August 5, and twin blasts in two theatres two days later.

Yet another bomb attack of 2004 took place on December 24 at the residence of former AL lawmaker and district women's AL President Syeda Zebunnesa Haque that left eight women leaders including Zebunnesa seriously wounded.

All the blasts caused death of 11, including a sub-inspector (SI) of the police, one AL leader, one AL activist and a street urchin.

The investigators, however, claimed on different occasions that their probe was in progress.

Five of the cases filed with the Kotwali Police Station in connection with the blasts were transferred to the CID for investigation. However, only one CID officer was tasked with the probe into four incidents.

Investigation officer (IO) Munshi Atiqur Rahman told The Daily Star yesterday that investigation into the twin cinema blasts is almost complete. "I will submit the charge-sheet very soon," he said.

"But probes into the grenade blasts at the Shah Jalal Shrine and Gulshan Hotel incident will take more time," he said adding that the nature of these attacks were also serious.

The CID failed to make any headway into the January 12 blast at the Shah Jalal Shrine that killed five people. Police arrested at least 50 in connection with the incident, but are yet to find any clue.

The May 21 grenade attack killed three people including SI Kamal Uddin and injured 70 others including the British high commissioner.

Police picked up about 30 persons but found no significant information. Four months after the incident, investigators from the Scotland Yard visited the shrine several times and probed into the incident. Munshi Atiq, the IO of this case, travelled to Singapore and London to quiz an under-treatment man who had sustained injuries from the blast.

The grenade blast at the Gulshan Hotel, which took place minutes after the departure of city Mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran after an AL meeting on August 7, killed city AL publicity secretary Mohammad Ibrahim Ali and hurt 30 others.

The CID interrogated and took statement of some 60 people including AL leaders, besides interrogating expatriate AL leader SM Nunu Miah. Nunu was later released after intervention of British MP Oona King.

Street urchin Shahad, 11, was killed in one of the twin blasts at the entrance to a city cinema hall on August 5.

Police are probing the two other cases.