It was with a feeling of pride and a sense of camaraderie that we greeted the arrival of Anwar Choudhury as British High Commissioner in Bangladesh on May 3, 2004. Then comes our utter shame on 21 May, 2004 when his visit to the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal(RA) in Sylhet in a thoughtfully conceived gesture to his place of birth was marked by a grenade attack. The High Commissioner's miraculous escape was relieving but the nation demurred at the deplorable state of security even for such a high dignitary thanks to unbridled fanatical extremism in the country.

The longwinded investigative process brought under question mark the credibility of the investigations and our investigative skill including forensic capabilities. Despite the helping hand extended by the Scotland Yard, Interpol and Federal Bureau of Investigation US, who made a visit to Sylhet, the investigation couldn't be speeded up. That was a shame.

Here is a case where no politics was involved and no pressure was conceivably brought to bear on the process of investigation; yet the approach had been so dilatory that it remains a blot on our investigative capacity. Let's not forget that the delay created a sense of impunity among extremists of the same ilk which is why closely on the heels we saw a few bombing attacks in Sylhet, especially the dastardly one on former finance minister SMS Kibria.

It is worthwhile to note that the investigations took a definite turn as late as on September 3, 2006 when Shahidul Alam Bipul and Delwar Hossain Ripon were arrested who gave useful leads about Harkatul Jihad's involvement in the incident under the supervision of Mufti Hannan. Incidentally though, one of the accused Abu Zandal alias Mufti Munim being still traceless has been dropped from the chargesheet.

Now we look forward to speedy conclusion of the rest of the legal process and conviction of the guilty. This would send a robust signal to the diplomatic community as to their safety and wellbeing in Bangladesh. Our apologies to the British High Commissioner and British government both for the untoward incident and the delay in bringing the case on to a definitive course.