Dhaka, Aug 21 (IANS) The UN Security Council’s warning over al-Qaeda’s efforts to establish a terrorist cell in Bangladesh should serve as a fresh wake-up call for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The current resurgence of violent extremism was allowed to gain momentum during the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, a report has highlighted.
It argued that against this backdrop, Rahman’s BNP government must pursue a policy of zero tolerance towards violent extremism.
The fall of Sheikh Hasina led Awami League government in August 2024 not only brought political change in Bangladesh, but also opened new space for resurgent extremist forces and emboldened emerging groups advocating a caliphate or Islamic rule, according to a report in ‘Times of Bangladesh’.
“For these individuals and groups, the post-Hasina environment appeared favourable. Banned outfits began holding rallies, processions, and meetings without obstruction. Hizb ut-Tahrir, despite its ban, staged processions in Dhaka and openly called for a caliphate. Old and new radical forces also became increasingly visible at seminars, waz mahfils, religious gatherings, educational institutions, and madrasas,” the report detailed.
“Online campaigns expanded alongside efforts to bring different groups under a common platform capable of pursuing a broader political project: establishing Islamic rule in Bangladesh along the lines of the Taliban’s model in Afghanistan,” it added.
Highlighting a string of troubling incidents during the Yunus regime, the report noted that a powerful explosion at a madrasa in the Keraniganj area in Dhaka in December 2025 caused extensive damage to the building and injured four people.
The investigation into the incident attributed the blast to extremist elements and identified two individuals who had earlier been arrested for their alleged involvement in militant activities. A woman detained at the madrasa had also previously been jailed over suspected militant links, it stated.
“Investigators said a mobile phone recovered after the Keraniganj blast led a joint forces team to the residence of the personal driver of banned Neo-JMB leader Hafiz Khalid Ibrahim in Jashore on 1 February this year. Ten powerful grenades, three foreign-made pistols, 19 rounds of ammunition, and other weapons were recovered,” the report mentioned.
“These developments demanded an immediate and comprehensive security response. Instead, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government appeared reluctant to confront the growing extremist threat, seemingly wary of alienating Islamist groups that had long claimed to have been persecuted under the Awami League regime,” it stated.
According to the report, 20 people, including members of the Bangladesh Air Force, were detained in April this year for their alleged links to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). While the development came as a major shock, it underscored a disturbing reality.
Other suspected militant incidents followed, including bomb blasts and the discovery of pipe and pressure cooker bombs in Dhaka, Cumilla, Ashulia, and Savar in recent months. Investigators now believe that several extremist networks may be connected to these incidents, the report mentioned.
–IANS
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