Reacting for the sake of reaction

A national political leader must react to each and every significant happening in and around the world. This marks his/ her presence internationally and helps to gain popularity.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday condemned the shooting and hostage situation in Dhaka, where the security forces are currently battling with assailants to end an unprecedented hostage crisis at a restaurant in the diplomatic zone of Bangladesh capital.

“Such attacks are contradiction of all ethical and human values,” she said.

And now, here lies the funniest part. How can one expect a terrorist to have ‘ethical and human values’?

Same is the case when Bangaldesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reacted “We will not allow Bangladesh to become a safe haven for terrorism.” Hasina, being the PM, was blind towards the attacks on secular bloggers and other extreme violence occurring in the country.

Bangladesh is always threatened by a rising tide of radical Islamist violence that has its roots in both the struggle for independence and a more recent wave of radicalized violence.

Whether you name it as ‘Jamaat Ul Mujahideen’ or ‘Jamaat-e-Islami, these terror outfits were founded and nurtured in Bangladesh.

A report by the Institute for Conflict Management earlier this year pointed out that the group had been successful in carrying out bombings and was taken seriously when it threatened to kill Bangladesh’s Prime Minister. But its actual activities had slowed down in the last few years, particularly after a government crackdown beginning in 2006 and the execution of four members in 2007 for their role in widespread bombings in 2005.

“The long hiatus in activities was, most likely, primarily due to intensive security measures undertaken by the Security Forces,” said the report, featuring data until March 2014.

For a relatively small diplomatic investment, the international community could help to deny radical Islamist groups a safe haven in South Asia and preserve a moderate Islamic democracy, by encouraging a negotiated settlement between the main political parties, working with the government of Bangladesh to root out terrorist organizations before they are able to metastasize, and providing protection for progressive media voices that are increasingly being targeted by terrorists.

Dhaka Hostage Crisis

Gunmen had stormed into a popular cafe in the diplomatic area of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, taking a number of hostages on Friday night, officials say.

Several foreigners were among those being held by eight or nine armed men in the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in the city’s Gulshan district, they add.

Two police officers were been killed in a gun battle, a spokesman said, and about 30 others injured.

So-called Islamic State (IS) has said it carried out the attack.

A statement on the group’s self-styled news agency Amaq said militants had attacked a restaurant “frequented by foreigners”. It said that more than 20 people “of different nationalities” had been killed but this has not been confirmed.

Security forces say they are trying to negotiate the hostages’ release.

Initial reports said that as many as 20 foreigners were among those taken captive.

Seven Italian nationals are believed to be in the cafe, the Italian ambassador in Dhaka, Mario Palma, was later quoted as saying by Italian media.

A Japanese government spokesman said Tokyo was investigating reports that some of its citizens were among the hostages.

This is probably the first time ever foreigners have been taken hostages in Bangladesh.

Though there have been a number of killings focusing on academics, activists and member of religious minorities, attacks on foreigners are rare.

The timing is important. Bangladesh has been gearing up for the Muslim religious festival of Eid, and most people have started going to their homes in villages and towns across the country for a week-long holiday period.

The government has always denied the presence of Islamic State militant group in Bangladesh.

So far the militants have targeted individuals and sometimes security forces. But storming a cafe in a heavily guarded diplomatic district is unprecedented and a dramatic escalation in violence.

The government has been caught unaware, and the attack exposes a big hole in Bangladesh’s intelligence gathering and security system.