By IANS
Dhaka : People of Bangladesh have “rejected extremism” and there are only “slim chances” of the country being a breeding ground for extremism, a top army official backing the caretaker government has said.
Lieutenant General Masud Uddin Chowdhury, a principal staff officer of Bangladesh Army and seen as part of a small group of military officials backing Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed, said that “extremism should not be linked to religion-based politics” and sought to allay the “fears expressed by some” on the rise of extremism in the country.
“Such a possibility is very slim as the people of this country have rejected extremism,” Chowdhury said at a seminar jointly organised by Bangladesh Army and US embassy in Dhaka.
Chowdhury is the coordinator of the task forces that are conducting a drive against crime, corruption and extremism in the country.
Regarding religion-based political parties in Bangladesh and their suspected links with extremism, Chowdhury said he did not want “to mingle religion-based politics with extremism”, New Age newspaper said Monday.
He said terrorism should be looked at “in a wider perspective”.
“Terrorism is always terrorism, be it with religion, or without,” he told media persons on the sidelines of the seminar.
Apprehensions about religious extremists working against religious and ethnic minorities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh and sheltering of Al Qaeda elements have been widely expressed by the Bush administration, Western think tanks and the media at home.
He told the seminar that dealing with terrorism required special legislation beyond criminal laws to provide the military and security forces the necessary authority and investigation tools to ensure the prosecution of suspected terrorists.
However, he said such legislation must be in conformity with international humanitarian and human rights law.
“We must remember that good governance and respect for human rights are keys to effectively combating terrorism,” Chowdhury said.