All of them were convicted and sentenced to death for killing two judges in Jhalakathi in a suicide bomb attack on November 14, 2005. The seventh convict, Asadul Islam Arif, was tried in absentia as he is on the run.

Though the JMB kingpins earlier said they would not seek justice in a man made court, they all appealed to the Supreme Court against the death sentences. A full bench of the Appellate Division headed by the chief justice, rejected their appeals on November 28 and upheld the death sentences.

Finally all the six militants filed petitions for president's clemency and the home ministry on January 28 sent those with a note to the president, who rejected the mercy petitions on February 4.

Now there is no obstacle to the execution of the militants and all of them might be executed in the first week of April.

These JMB leaders are also accused of unleashing terror in which scores of innocent people were indiscriminately killed, besides carrying out the countrywide series of bomb blasts on August 17, 2005.

According to home ministry records, total numbers of 698 people have been arrested so far in connection with 154 cases on the blasts of August 17, 2005 and 87 cases for the blasts that took place later on. The police submitted charge sheet in 189 cases and 52 are still under investigation.

Judgment has so far been delivered on 20 cases and 32 militants including Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai, and Sunny have been sentenced to death.

Rab recently busted several militant hideouts in different parts of the country and seized huge quantity of explosives and locally made grenades. Rab also arrested several militants of banned JMB, who possessed the bomb making materials.

The youngsters arrested by the Rab recently from different places are reported to have been enrolled as new members of the JMB. It seems that many of such members have been enrolled and trained by the JMB leaders to carry on its mission.

Media reported that the JMB mastermind Abdur Rahman disclosed to the Task Force Intelligence (TFI), the names of two ministers, a state minister, a deputy minister, a mayor and an MP of the BNP-led alliance government who had so long patronized the militant outfit. Media intelligence sources also trumpeted that connection.

The home ministry on March 16, 2006 formed a three-member probe committee to investigate into source of funds of the JMB. But the BNP-led alliance government was quite silent over the issue which seriously blurred its sincerity in tracing out the patrons and the financiers.

After the terror attacks on the Twin Towers, the US government enacted the Patriot Act and following the London blasts the UK government enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 with a view to tackle the terrorists.

But the BNP-led alliance government did not pass the much-anticipated anti-terrorism act to tackle religious extremism for obvious reason. Now the caretaker government is going to promulgate an anti- terrorism ordinance. It is a welcome development.

The BNP-led alliance government did a lot of things for arresting the top JMB leaders but hardly did anything of substance to trace the financiers and patrons who have been pulling the strings from behind the scene. This has been a serious omission.

Our two neighbouring countries, India and Pakistan are quite unfortunate to witness the ugliest face of militancy repeatedly. Seven bombs went on July 11 in Mumbai's rush hour trains at seven different spots causing large-scale death and devastation.

Before diminution of shockwave of this attack on innocent commuters, hell broke loose again on February 19, killing as many as 67 people, mostly Pakistani nationals, when two powerful bombs went off in a Pakistan-bound friendship train at Panipath, India.

A suicide bomber killed at least 15 people, including a senior judge, when he blew himself up inside a court in Quetta, Pakistan. The explosion hit when hundreds of people were inside the compound for court cases and police inquiries.

Too soon after this bomb blast a 35-year old Pakistan minister from Punjab was shot dead while in a meeting with party activists in Gujranwalla. Zilla Huma Usman, the minister for social welfare and a prominent women's rights activist, was gunned down openly by a fanatic for not wearing the veil. Indeed, this is a show of force at its worst by a fanatic.

Since the terrorism knows no territory, these tragedies with India and Pakistan, is no doubt an alarm for Bangladesh.

The execution of six JMB kingpins will not certainly go all-out to rid the country of militancy menace. Islamist fundamentalism which has made deep penetration, might has developed cross-regional network. The caretaker government must realize the enormity of the danger that is looming large in this region and posing serious threat to peace and security.

Much remains to be done so far, as measures aimed at uprooting the sources aiding the militancy. What now actually needs for containment of militancy is better performance of all the law enforcing agencies and of course, a democratic justice delivery system.

Demolition of the political links of the Islamist fundamentalists should be on the top of the agenda, which can be dealt with severely by the caretaker government, as it has no obligation to the vote bank.

There was a widespread demand for allowing the JMB kingpins to speak to the media. But the law adviser said that the government would not allow them to speak to media since, apparently, there is "no precedent."

Since the motivations of the murders committed by the JMB militants are very much different from ordinary murders, they should be allowed to speak to the media for removing public misgivings. The militants will obviously speak the truth before embracing death. The caretaker government surely need not worry about the truth.

ANM Nurul Haque is a columnist of The Daily Star.