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AL flays Altaf for militant claim

Staff Correspondent
The main opposition Awami League (AL) yesterday flayed Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury's recent comment that there was nothing to be worried about the activities of Islamic militants.
A meeting of the AL presidium at the party's Dhanmondi office with President Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday said such a comment was nothing but a government effort to 'patronise Islamic militants'.
It also criticised the coalition government for 'pursuing a policy of protecting armed militants', saying it fuelled spread of terrorism like cancer in Bangladesh.
"Through the speech, the government has diverted people's attention from the deep-rooted
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conspiracy of militant and terrorist groups against the country and its people," the meeting observed.
"They (Islamic militants) are not capable of terrorist activities as they do not have huge arms and weapons," the home minister told a parliamentary standing committee meeting on Saturday.
Altaf said, "A few people are involved in these incidents and they have no connection with the mainstream Islamic political parties."
Dismissing his claims, the AL said the statement proved that he was not only providing shelter to the militants but also trying to cover up the militants' conspiracy.
The government was playing down the arrest of militants and seizure of foreign-made arms and ammunition in Mymensingh, Dinajpur, Rajshahi and Joypurhat, it said.
The meeting urged people to unite against militant activities.
"The government has failed to curb the Islamic militants. Instead of taking action against the criminal groups, the government has been shifting blames onto the main opposition for tarnishing the image of the country abroad," the AL said.
When Bangladesh was included in the US terror-risk list, the government said it was the result of the opposition-sponsored propaganda to damage the country's image, the meeting pointed out.
Expressing deep concern over the recent spate of abduction of businessmen, especially in Chittagong, the AL leaders alleged that government-backed gangs were indulging in such crimes.