Brig Gen Shahedul Anam Khan ndc, psc (Retd)

It is said that foreign policies should not be dictated by the heart but by the head. And I believe that that precept must always predominate our foreign policy formulation.

The matter is compounded further when one of the two happens to be the main protagonist of the current global war on terror and whose policy of fighting that war stemmed from the most injudicious, self-centered strategy that has accentuated rather than attenuated extremism, and whose policy has helped extremists spread their tentacles in countries which were not in their radar before the start of the GWOT.

While there is no gainsaying that there is no ‘physical presence’ of IS in this country, the fact that the terrorist organisation has brought this country under its radar is a matter that the security agencies in Bangladesh cannot overlook.

The undue preoccupation of the administration in trying to disprove the presence of IS in the country is noticeable. One feels that the home ministry is taking the word 'presence' too literally. We cannot overlook the fact that there are a number of Islamic militant groups in the country, and at least 12 of those have been outlawed by the government.

The caveat imposed by the DMP on the Pahela Baishakh celebrations in and around Suhrawardy Udyan and Ramna Park, reminds me of a

The Election Commission has become a metaphor for ineptitude. The gradual downslide in the performance of the main democratic institution of the country is disconcertingly palpable.

It is in the interest of the Army's credibility that everything should be done to resolve the mystery. Cantonments are not sacrosanct areas and from time to time criminal acts do occur in there.

The BB Governor has done the only moral thing to do, resign. But that is only one aspect of the issue. The matter has generated several questions and people need credible answers to those.

The script is familiar; the cast recognisable, the performance well orchestrated if not well rehearsed. Some MPs of the ruling party have

We can say with utmost satisfaction that we were in the right in fulfilling our duty since we have had to incur the wrath of the ruling party, irrespective of which party was in power, in equal measure.

The government has got a lot to boast about on its two years in office. It has a firm grip on things and those who might try to convey otherwise...

It is a great relief that 5th January passed off without any untoward incident, although the stipulations set by the DMP before giving the go-ahead were observed only in their violation.

If all those extremists killed and arrested in the last one month belong to the JMB then all those that had written off the extremist group as a non-entity and without the capacity to create problems for the country must be eating their words, and that includes the head of our police too.

TODAY the country is celebrating two historic events in one – Fall of Autocracy and Revival of Democracy. It was fall of autocracy alright but whether democracy has been resurrected in its true and pristine from is a matter for the people to tell.

Today is the 18th anniversary of the CHT Accord, and it is pathetic to hear the tribal leaders still lamenting its non fulfillment in toto.

Bangladesh's experience with ribald extremism and terrorism is more recent and, so far, has been less painful in terms of mass attacks or casualties. But there has been a slow, but steady gnawing at the very soul of this country.

Like any other world leader invested with unrestrained power to act, every problem posed by Islamic extremism to France, and indeed to the Western world, appears to be a nail.

We are in accord with the attitude of the Russian Ambassador on the killing of the two foreigners, articulated in the most poetic manner.

The quick 'acknowledgment' of the killings by the IS, the method of which does not fit the IS footprint, raises doubts about the veracity of the post. However, let the IS issue not be a red herring.

So Thomas Paine had said. But unfortunately that is not so in Bangladesh. In our country the saying, 'show me the man and I will show