"In conformity with the UN Charter and international law, Bangladesh supports all international efforts, including implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, particularly 1373, to combat terrorism," the foreign affairs adviser told a seminar at Bangladesh Institute for International Strategic Studies (BIISS).

The daylong seminar titled 'Challenges to Security in the 21st Century: Bangladeshi Perspective' was organised by Centre for Strategic and Peace Studies (CSPS).

The foreign adviser said that Bangladesh recognises that the growing trends in terrorism and fundamentalism are the gravest challenges to democratic societies and international peace and security.

Bangladesh is party to 12 of the 13 UN Conventions on terrorism.

The adviser reiterated that Bangladesh would never allow its soil to be used for propagating terrorism, fundamentalism and sectarian violence.

"We do not view acts of terrorism as insular and isolated events," he said adding, "we have, time and again, said that the international community must address the root causes of terrorism -- poverty, hunger, injustice, disasters, displacement etc -- to effectively combat this menace."

Mentioning the connection between war and poverty, the veteran diplomat said "The war on terror must also be a war against poverty, the fight against terror must be an inclusive process."

"Explosives, both local and smuggled, have lately proven more deadly, particularly in the hands of the JMB outfit," Professor Imtiaz Ahmed of Dhaka University (DU) said in his paper titled 'Terrorism beyond reason: possibilities and limits,' adding, "Such weaponisation of the society cannot be contained only through national efforts."

Regional approach is required in the form of a regional police-civil force for checking the illicit arms trade, money laundering and militant outfit nexus, he further observed.

About Islamisation of Bangladesh politics, Assistant Professor of DU Lailufar Yasmin in her paper titled 'Indo-Bangladesh Relations: Terrorism in Perspective,' said "Islamisation in Bangladesh's politics started with the deterioration of popularity of the post-independence regime."

She noted that former president Ziaur Rahman replaced the word 'secularism' from the constitution by 'absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah.'

"Ershad (former dictator and president) made Islam as a state religion, therefore, Islam emerged as a strong tool in politics," Yasmin further said.

The opening session of the seminar was chaired by CSPS Chairman Commodore (retd) Ataur Rahman and addressed by CSPS Executive Director Maj Gen (retd) Ghulam Qader, while former state minister for foreign affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury presided over the first working session titled 'Dimension of the Problem of Terrorism in Bangladesh.'

Ambassador Farooq Sobhan, president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, chaired the second session titled 'Towards a Comprehensive Strategy of Combating Terrorism in Bangladesh.' Brig Gen ATM Amin presented a paper on 'Regional Security Environment and Terrorist Threat.'