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Bangladesh keeps a close watch on leaders of new party

Bangladesh authorities have ordered an intensified security vigil against a group of suspected Islamist militants as they appeared this time as preachers of interfaith harmony under a new outfit.

  • By Anisur Rahman, Correspondent
  • Published: 00:02 October 1, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dhaka: Bangladesh authorities have ordered an intensified security vigil against a group of suspected Islamist militants as they appeared this time as preachers of interfaith harmony under a new outfit.

Security officials said orders were issued to keep an extra eye on the leaders of the newly emerged Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), an organisation that emerged renaming outlawed Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (HuJi) three days ago in Dhaka.

"We are keeping a sharp security and intelligence vigil against the IDP since they have a controversial background ... we will not wait a minute to take any action if they are found to be involved in any sort of terrorist activities," additional director general of elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Colonel Guljar Uddin Ahmad told Gulf News.

He added that some of the IDP leaders, all former veterans of the Afghan resistance against Soviet occupation, were already being watched despite claiming their disassociation from militant activities under HuJI outfit. Shaikh Abdul Salam headed the convening committee while it was under his leadership. A group of Afghan war veterans launched HuJI at a press conference at the National Press Club on April 30, 1992 pledging to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state.

Ahmad's comments came amid speculations that HuJI actually floated a political front though the organisers said they had disassociated with HuJI chief now detained Mufti Abdul Hannan a decade ago.

"Be them Afghan war veterans or not, several organisers of the outfit were on our suspect list since detained HuJI leaders including Hannan named them as their comrades during interrogations," another senior security official said preferring anonymity.

Bangladesh banned HuJI for terrorism in October 2005 while the United States earlier this year designated it as a "foreign terrorist organisation" and "specially designated global terrorist". Indian security forces in Assam last week shot dead seven suspected HuJI operatives while Indian officials suspected the outfit's links in the Jaipur serial bombings several moths ago.

The former HuJI leaders announced the emergence of IDP at a function in Dhaka three days ago inviting as guests controversial pro-Israel campaigner and editor of a weekly Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury and three community leaders representing the Hindu, Buddhist and Christian faiths. Analysts said the new outfit was apparently trying to show their respect for interfaith beliefs inviting the representatives of different religious faiths.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said they allowed IDP to arrange it was a "religious one" but Dhaka's police commissioner Naim Ahmad said they would definitely go for a closer examination before giving the organisation permission to arrange any "political programme".

But during the Saturday's function the leaders of the new outfit said their goal was to run the country as per the "Charter of Madinah" of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) that gives equal rights to all citizens irrespective of religion and ethnicity.

"We don't want to impose anything on anyone. We'll put the Islamic laws into practice only if the people grant us an electoral mandate to amend the constitution...Even those of Muslims who won't want to follow Sharia will have the freedom to follow the existing law," IDP leader Azizul Haque said.

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