GUWAHATI, Jan 7 Bangladesh has emerged today as a merchant of terror, said Leader of the Opposition Chandra Mohan Patowary while taking part in the debate on the Governor's address on the floor of the State Assembly here today. Patowary said, referring to a write-up by Wilson John (www.dailypioneer.com), that the neighbouring country, which was once regarded as a major source of economic refugees, had now become a hotbed of terrorism.

Referring to a set of research papers presented at an international conference on terrorism, democracy and economic development in Bangladesh held on September 30, 2006 in New York, he said that terrorist incidents or attacks were highest in South Asia, Bangladesh being a big contributor, followed by the Middle East and Persian Gulf region since 9/11.

Empirically, the terrorist incidents increased by 800 per cent in South Asia and 560 per cent in the Middle East since 9/11. While terror incidents increased by 7,800 per cent in Bangladesh and 800 per cent in South Asia, in sharp contrast, such incidents in Western Europe declined by five per cent and increased only by 4.9 per cent in North America during the same period, Patowary said quoting a paper presented by Dr Abdul Momen, a professor of economics and management at the Framingham State College, Massachusetts.

Dr Abdul Momen supplied a list of the major terrorist groups operating in the neighbouring country. For the purpose he took the help of the list prepared by the US intelligence agencies such as CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, Defense Intelligence, National Counter-terrorism (NATC), US State Department etc.

These agencies listed the terrorist groups of Bangladesh as: Islamic Shashantantra Andolon, Hikmarul Zihad, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), Harkat ul-I-Islami/Bangladesh (HUJI-B), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) People's Liberation Army (PLA), Jamat-ul-Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB), Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity(PCJSS), United National Liberation Front (UNLF) Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC), Borok National Council of Tripura (BNCT), National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) and al-Qaedea-Bangladesh, said the Leader of the Opposition, quoting Dr Abdul Momen.

Patowary quoted the above papers to suggest the gravity of the terrorism-related situation in Assam and its neighbourhood. The major problem facing the State today is insurgency. Without resolving this problem, the State cannot implement its developmental projects effectively.

He resented the fact that though the world community condemned the October 30 terror attacks on Assam, Governor of the State did not condemn the incidents in his address.

The Union Home Minister also failed to condemn those incidents in his speech made on the floor of the Parliament. Only the pressure mounted by a section of the State's MPs made the Union Home minister mention those incidents.

But in the case of Mumbai, Central Government missed no time in mounting pressure on the Pakistani Government. The Mumbai attack was considered an attack on India. Even the attackers were identified within seven days. But in the case of Assam blasts, the State Government is maintaining a confusing stance. It is also asserting that a third force was involved on the October 30 incidents, even as the Union Home Minister described the incidents as deeds of the Jehadis, Patowary said.

Referring to the US Army Training and Doctrine Command TRADOC G2, Patowary said that the present trends in terrorism are intensified ideological extremism, enhanced operational capabilities, flexible organisational networks, expanded transitional associations, emergent independent actors, increased weapon system lethality, intended mass casualties- that is, mayhem, targeted economic disruption and exploited mass media marketing. The terrorists today have weapons like the gas-operated assault weapon AK-74 in their possession.

Today the cumulative number of persons killed in the incidents of terror attack in the country is two times higher than the total number of those killed in the four wars the country had waged against Pakistan and China during the past 60 years, said the Leader of the Opposition.

But to face this situation, the State Police is not equipped properly. It's tips to the people against terror attacks are also ludicrous. The Police Departments of Maharashtra, Goa and Himachal Pradesh are far ahead of the Assam Police in this matter, he said displaying the relevant documents and reading out the relevant paragraphs from those documents.

He alleged that the State Government was not sincere in resolving the issue of insurgency or there was no comprehensible reason as to why the Government failed to push ahead the peace process initiated for the purpose.

The failure of the Home Department today has come to such a pass that fratricidal clashes are taking place within the Bodo community. Most of the victims of last year's Udalguri and Darrang ethnic riots are unwilling to leave the camps they are taking shelter in these days, said Patowary.