Violence pushes govt, oppn toward anti-fascist front

The ruling BNP, opposition Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) are considering closer cooperation against violence the government attributes to the activities-banned Awami League, after police recorded more than 50 crude bomb explosions and six bus arson attacks in Dhaka over three days.
Between 7 and 9 November, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) logged the incidents in the capital. Police Headquarters reported that 19 buses were torched and explosions occurred at 27 locations nationwide.
Political leaders and experts said parties must rise above partisan differences to protect lives, property and the country's political, democratic and sovereign stability, and to resist any reemergence of the ousted Awami League and its violent activities.

The government has stepped up security measures. The police have been told to intensify surveillance, strengthen patrols and identify those responsible, while avoiding indiscriminate arrests.
On Tuesday, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Hossain Fakir held an online meeting with the superintendents of police of all 64 districts, Metropolitan Police Commissioners and Range Deputy Inspectors General. He urged them to maintain strict vigilance against possible sabotage. 
Additional police are to be deployed in Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur and Faridpur, with emphasis on arresting actual offenders and ensuring innocent people are not harassed.
A source in the intelligence agency said some banned Awami League leaders were provoking sabotage from abroad and funding it within the country. The government is working to trace the route of the foreign funding, the source said.
PM's call, Jamaat's response
Addressing a brief rally outside the party’s Nayapaltan office on 7 November, ahead of a procession, BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman urged all pro-democratic forces to form a united front against what he described as coordinated and organised sabotage.
Speaking on a point of order in parliament on Tuesday, Jamaat Ameer and Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman said his party, the main opposition in parliament, would actively consider any government call for cooperation in addressing the evolving situation.
BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Emran Saleh Prince said the prime minister's call for a united front of anti-fascist forces "remains active and will continue to be so". 
Describing Jamaat's response as "a positive gesture", he said, "If the Jamaat ameer wishes to sit with us, he will be warmly welcomed."
Referring to the recent unrest in the readymade garment sector, he said the party had intelligence that someone was operating behind the scenes with money from abroad. 
He said the government would act "at an appropriate time". 
He added that the prime minister had recently held a Zoom meeting with senior leaders nationwide and asked them to stay alert on the streets. 
BNP activists have since held political programmes and processions against the actions of the ousted Awami League, he said.
BNP plans December activism
A senior BNP leader, speaking to the Daily Sun on condition of anonymity, said leaders and activists had been asked to remain active on the streets throughout December, the month of victory, to build resistance nationwide against Awami League-sponsored unrest.
The leader said anti-democratic elements might become more aggressive in carrying out clandestine attacks in the country during the month, in line with directives from across the border. 
BNP activists would stay on the streets as a sentinel alongside law enforcers to prevent any attempt to push the country into a fresh crisis, he said.
The leader also said Sheikh Hasina would not return to the country. In his view, her announced return was an effort to stir unrest and pressure the government into a political settlement with her.
According to several senior government officials, the administration is not overly concerned about Hasina's attempts to create instability. 
A government source, who asked not to be named, said the government was nonetheless exercising the utmost vigilance to prevent sabotage, protect lives and property and keep law and order under control.
BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told journalists his party was protesting the Awami League's unlawful activities. 
He said the administration and the courts would deal with them through legal processes. 
He alleged that the party was orchestrating sabotage through local agents and hired miscreants, and said such activities would die out without public support.
NCP stance
A senior NCP leader, who asked not to be named, said parties engaged in the anti-fascist movement remained united and would maintain that stance to prevent the Awami League’s reemergence. 
He said the NCP was working collectively, upholding the prime minister’s call to resist the party’s subversive activities.
The NCP leader, however, expressed frustration at what he described as the inaction of law enforcers in dealing with the troublemakers.