Sagar Biswas :
Government has taken hard stance against the militancy giving green signal to the security agencies to deal with the matter in line with its ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
As per the new approach, the government high-ups have directed the concerned authorities to form a ‘quick response team’ comprising smart and skilled members of different security agencies apparently to fight terrorists and tackle militant attack.
The proposed ‘quick response team’ will keep an eye on, if there is any situation like Gulshan militant attack in the future.
On the same issue, a high-profile meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also held on Sunday at Prime Minister’s Office where chiefs of all intelligence agencies took part.
The PM expressed desire about forming of a specialized ‘quick response team’ to counter militancy crisis. There would be a meeting at Armed Forces Division soon over formation of the specialized team. It will be decided whether members of other forces, apart from law enforcement agency, will be included in the team, sources said.
The proposal of forming ‘quick response team’ was also placed on Sunday’s special Cabinet Committee meeting on law and order where nine Ministers and three State ministers along with top ranking officials of security and intelligence agencies took part.
Earlier on February 17, Dhaka Metropolitan Police launched its Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime [CTTC] making Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Monirul Islam as its Chief. Main task of CTTC was to collect information of terrorists, monitor and prevent their operations. However, the unit is yet to show its capability as per desire level.Not only that, the government had earlier taken decision to form a computer incident response team [CIRT] under Bangladesh Computer Council [BCC] to tackle cyber crimes and spreading of militancy through internet. But it also failed to emerge with full force till the date, officials said.
Meanwhile, some diplomatic missions, including India, France and Korean embassies, have also sought additional security for their community members, offices, houses and other establishments. The Indian High Commission has sent a ‘note verbale’ to Bangladesh Foreign Ministry urging to deploy members of Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] or Border Guard Bangladesh [BGB] in its offices and other establishments in Dhaka. Besides, the Indian HC also sought protection to its officials and family members residing at Gulshan, Baridhara, Assistant HC in Chittagong and Rajshahi.
Not only that, the French embassy in its ‘note verbale’ urged the authority to deploy additional security personnel at the mission and ‘Residence of France’, both situated at Gulshan.
In this backdrop, the visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal sat in a meeting with PM’s security adviser Major General [retd] Tarique Ahmed Siddiqui at the PMO at about 11:45am yesterday.
US Ambassador Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat, acting High Commissioner of United Kingdom Mark Clayton and senior army officials related in ‘Operation Thunderbolt’ were present, according to officials.
