Indian security think-tank praises anti-terrorism campaign in BD

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India's leading security think tank Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) has appreciated Bangladesh's anti-terrorism campaign under the incumbent government and expected it to have a positive impact in the region, reports BSS.
In its latest publication 'Return from the Precipice:
Bangladesh's Fight Against Terrorism', the IDSA reviewed incumbent Awami League-led government steps to combat terrorism to revive the country's heritage as a "moderate Muslim country" largely influenced by Sufism.
"In the past the governments in Bangladesh not only denied the presence of Islamist groups within their territory, they also vehemently protested whenever India raised the issue of Indian insurgent groups using Bangladeshi territory for attacks in Northeast India," the book noted.
Authored by IDSA Scholar Dr Anand Kumar, the book pointed out that "in the absence of cooperation on the issue of countering terrorism, the problem largely remained in the realm of speculation".
The book starts by discussing revival of Islam-based politics in Bangladesh and goes on to highlight the success of the present government in taking actions against terror groups and its likely impact on counter-terrorism in South Asia including Bangladesh.
"The image of Bangladesh of being a 'moderate Muslim country' was tarnished at the turn of the 20th century. The country known for its Sufi Islam was witnessing a spurt of Islamic radicalism" as radical elements in Bangladeshi society were trying to purge the social, cultural and religious life of the people, a review on the book issued by IDSA itself read.
The book tended to call "terrorism" as an offshoot of this "Islamist extremism" and viewed that it constituted just one strand of the terror challenge in Bangladesh, and largely threatened the democratic and political stability of the country.
"For India it (phenomenon) translated into occasional terror attacks in various parts of the country," the review said.
It added: "As the Bangladesh government begins to cooperate with India and the wider world, many aspects of the problem have become known."
The book also makes an assessment as to what extent Bangladeshi cooperation has helped counter-terrorism activities - especially in the Northeast of India.
The review said the author tried to analyse the developments in Bangladeshi politics "which took a very different course after the murder of Bangabandhu" as he highlighted the "attempt of certain forces in Bangladesh to consciously foster a culture that is different from the composite Bengali culture that is common to both countries, so that a different Bangladeshi identity could be created".
"India never questioned the existence of Bangladesh or its sovereignty, but elements hell bent on creating differences followed certain policies that actually vitiated bilateral relations between the two countries," it observed.