People though are well under the spell of state sponsorship of vigorous Islam since August 1975 with secularism renounced, they would never think of the advent of demons like Shaekh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai in the soil of Bangladesh. At least people are relieved of the terror and horror many of their kith and kin fell prey to and witnessed. The bigots proved them to be the maelstroms against the currents of calm, composed and naive people of this plain land, but exemplary action against these known criminals was pitiably too protracted; nevertheless it was better than never.

The coalition government since the capture of the 'big fish' have been in three cheers as if they have done what the US have not been able to do in respect of Bin Laden and Molla Omar. Our PM's complacence was observed in her prompt address to the nation following arrest of Shaekh Abdur Rahman. Without any delay thereafter was captured 'Bangla Bhai.' The student wing of BNP also observed field day over their arrest. But the opposition combined as also the members of public not aligning with them or with the powers that be could not join the chorus and termed the arrests as "staged drama". That, naturally, made our Prime Minister and her cabinet colleagues exasperated and dismayed, and therefore, in every of her meetings and other public gatherings, she goes on swearing at and swiping against the opposition consistently telling the audiences "the opposition AL did/does not want arrests of the Bangla Bhais". But it is not that our PM does not comprehend why the whole nation though quite happy over the arrests could not join in giving sweeping plaudits for this achievement of theirs which could be otherwise described 'great'.

Actually, what did the government do when time and again the people and the opposition demanded of the government to apprehend them from the very day the Bangla Bhais took law into their hands and in the name of elimination of outlawed PBCB members unleashed reign of terror with decimation of people not subscribing to their views? The opposition AL lawmakers took the issue to the Parliament/or sent notices for deliberation, but every time the treasury bench scotched their attempts. The government did not only brush off the demand, it went on to accuse the opposition of conspiracy against the government. The PM's current AL bashing is very much unlikely to make the people forget and forgive the government's indictment of letting the minions of law connive with the growth of Shaekh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai into monsters, of flat denial of the existence of Bangla Bhais (even her Home Minister was reported to have ejaculated they do not know anybody as Bangla Bhai or English Bhai; another Minister felt no scruple to call it creation of the media, the finance minister too scathed the media).

Besides our print media's relentless coverage of the Islamist militants' mischief and misdeeds especially in some places of Rajshahi and Bogra including the interview telecast by some electronic media of the two 'kingpins' delineating their organizational outfit, JMJB/JMB and their vow to turn this into a land of Shariah, the Wall Street journal of USA wrote about their rise and growth to a threatening proportion. The government banned that issue. Prior to that the government banned one issue of Far Eastern Economic Review because that reviewed the situation of Bangladesh following takeover by BNP with the defeated forces of 1971, the Jamat-e-Islami and other fundamentalist islamist parties. There was also a report in the Time Magazine that, among other things, dwelt upon the insurgency of Islamist militants. Then a journalist of New York Times contributed an exclusive article on Bangladesh, titled "Next Islamic Revolution in Bangladesh?" on the basis of her/his personal itinerary in the places of Rajshahi Division in particular and spot interview of the leaders and members of JMJB and also of the tyrannized people there.

Many veteran columnists of all hues ceaselessly contributed write-ups in all major national dailies including the Editor of the DS who apart from editorials also wrote commentaries, all to draw the attention of the government and advise it to take measures before time ran out. But nothing could mould the coalition government from turning its blind eye to the issue.

So the people of Bangladesh to their utter bewilderment witnessed on August 17, 2005 the countrywide synchronized bomb blasts steered by the members of JMJB/JMB with their leaflets left on the blast sites. The leaflets gave clear messages of their design and vow to establish Islami Hukumat in Bangladesh. Though that made the government unnerved, its few members of the cabinet instead of advising the government to swoop on them, as is customary with them, did point their fingers at AL and tried to put blame on others. Moulana Matiur Rahman Nizami promptly termed it as the conspiracy of RAW of India and Mosad of Israel to cripple Bangladesh (But he kept his tongue chocked from uttering the name of ISI, Pakistani Intelligence which is alleged to be very much active in the regions of Chittagong Hill Tracts and Bangladesh-Myanmar border). The IOJ leader Amini's and other Islamic clerics' vociferous utterances that arrest of religious people will not be tolerated' emboldened the militants further and the government seemed to acquiese in. Please note that the nation was reminded on many occasions of the Aminis and likes calling for establishing law of Allah instead of democracy on this soil. So the elite force was not ordered to hunt down the men responsible for the countrywide bomb blast that struck at the very base of our national security. How come that such an organized bomb blast occurred and the government's raft of intelligence agencies could fail to smack it was the question in every mouth.

The nation was again beguiled by the PM while she made her valedictory speech in the Parliament session ending in the first week of September 2005. She did not utter the name of JMJB or JMB, the perpetrators of countrywide bomb blasts, but still made no bones about accusing AL, though obliquely, for conspiracy and for creating anarchy in the country. She however cautioned no one would be allowed to destroy peace and prosperity of the country by using the name of Islam. One more thing seems to be worth mentioning here. There were also leaflets found in different places few days later threatening the Hindus either to court Islam or get out of this country and also making it a point that before the next election all Hindus living in Bangladesh would be made Muslims. What hatred do the Islamists (of religion of peace) nurse in their hearts against the community of another religion? Yet the government was not heard to probe the matter or take a hard line against the religious extremists!

We can guess had not the JMJB/JMB supremo(s) killed (or made a blunder by killing) two judges of Jhalakhati and other people at court premises of Gazipur, Chittagong, Netrakona and elsewhere by their suicide squad, they could continue their hidden agenda with the 'blessings' of indifference of the government and reach towards their goals. Though their August incident proved Bangladesh to be a terrorist country before the world, the government with ghosts within then dithered to go for action against the enemies of the nation. The killing of judges and others by suicide squad put the government in delicate predicament and brought for the nation an indelible blot. Now with mounting pressure from the US and EU and also World Bank the government was finally obliged to ban the outfits, and let the elite force RAB to hunt down the terrorists.

But by this time, few scores of people fell victim to the torture and scheme of the banned outfits and many families were ruined at Bagmara, Atrai of Rajshahi and elsewhere. The outfits earlier caused mayhem by bomb explosions in cinema halls in Mymensingh and other places and Jatra function in Bogra and that too took many lives. But none of the perpetrators were brought to justice. Who is to blame? Why were not the elite forces ordered to dog the elements in the wake of countrywide bomb blasts?

At this juncture of the nation's jeopardy, the government in order to hide its dereliction called a national dialogue of all parties, which also turned out to be a farce. Because, first and foremost, it is the onus of the government (which has all the paraphernalia) to smite any anti-state elements. AL and other like minded parties (leftists, Bikalpa Dhara and Dr. Kamal's Gonoforum) shrugged off the government's proposal as a mere claptrap and accused the government of indictment, for it glossed over or gloated over the activities of the JMJB/JMB by not allowing its forces to go into operation in the wake of countrywide bomb blasts.

When RAB and other law enforcers swung into action hundreds of violent elements of JMB were hounded up (there are many hundreds yet to be hunted) and tons of explosive materials with detonators were seized. It gave a clear credence that the network the outfits have established could not be possible without connivance of the law enforcers and blessings of some men at the helm. There was reportedly a police high official having said," What we could not accomplish, Bangla Bhai and his men are doing that." This was no less than granting impunity to the terrorists. Many of the arrested are reported to have confirmed Jamat connections. But that is being religiously hushed up. And it was clear why PM's so called arrest order was not complied with. The nation never found the government having tailed the Madrasha students and teachers while many of the reports revealed that the larger section of them (students) grew into militants or joined the bandwagon of JMB to establish Sharia rule in the country.

The print media was effortlessly tried to be mauled for disclosure of the misdeeds and hidden agenda of the Islamic outfits. Few of the government lawmakers were hell bent to make provision for punishment to the journalists as they divulge all their weaknesses. The print media, without fear or favour, did and are doing what the nation demands of them as fourth estate while the State was miserably failing in its constitutional obligations to protect the lives and property of its citizens and save the nation from the clutches of the evil doers vowing to dismantle democratic polity and establish, instead, a theocratic state. The nation wants the government to prove its sincerity by keeping the witch-hunt on to wipe out JMB elements once for all. Only then will the euphoria will be worth observing and comforting.