With the BNP-Jamaat allies continuing to enforce blockade and hartal for the 44th day on February 18, the country has descended into deep chaos, uncertainty and unimaginable distress. We have got to be worried and perturbed after witnessing the scale of tragedies, lives lost by burning, destruction and losses inflicted on the economy in a free Bangladesh that we liberated at the cost 3 million lives. Since January 6, the country, from Teknaf to Tetulia, has turned into a theatre of unabated violence and destruction. 

My heart bleeds as I learn about the increasing number of poor people, most of them vital earning members in their families, falling victims to petrol bomb attacks and ultimately dying after suffering excruciating pain for days. This is a chilling situation and must arouse sensibility and realisation in both the blocs that, in our social set up, in most families, only one person works and 5 or 6 members depend on his income. Mohammad Hossain of Feni, a small trader, was burnt on his way to Chittagong when his covered van was attacked by petrol bombs. With 60% of his body burnt, doctors are not very hopeful about his survival. The tragic part of the story is that Mohammad Hossain has four minor daughters, two sons and his wife who are dependent on him. 

What is most shocking is that neither Mohammad Hossain nor most of the 90 persons so far falling victims to petrol bomb attacks were linked with politics. After the liberation of the country, we longed for good days -- days free from poverty, repression, exploitation, and religious bigotry. Buses are burning, people are dying in the street for no fault of theirs, trains are being torched and derailed by frenzied goons, then where do the people go for security of life and livelihood? Democracy negates laissez-faire and brings stability. Can we find that stability and peace in the country? 

What political analysts feel is that BNP's hartal and oborodh affect the poor and innocent people like rickshaw pullers, bus drivers, helpers and daily wage earners and does not augur well for the party. The party, it seems, has lost its appeal among the general masses. True, calling hartal against unfair deal of any government must be an inalienable and democratic right of a political party, but to resort to brutalities on toiling masses who are neither their enemies nor adversaries is an evil action and can never be accepted. Paradoxically, as the blockade and hartal have reached horrific levels, BNP-led alliance calls these a political movement while the  ruling party, refusing to accept its political genesis, wants to  wish it away  as a law and order problem. If it is the avowed intention of BNP to restore democracy in the country then it must sever its ties with Jamaat and launch agitation on the street with its own strength.

The government should investigate how and for what purpose crores of taka in foreign currency (a sizable amount reportedly being fake) and gold seized at the Shahjalal International airport are being smuggled into Bangladesh? The government must go deep inside this racket and expose the mischief mongers to the world.  

Even if the government employs every instrument to bust terrorist dens, there is no guarantee that even a massive use of conventional force to destroy their political, civil, and military infrastructure will break the terrorist networks unless people have enough education and awareness as to what is good or bad for them. These terrorists could quite easily remain unaffected and move to another location.

There is, however, a consistency in the pattern that is beginning to evolve. To begin with, the attacks in different places in the country have brought home the point that it takes only a handful of ill-motivated people to destroy the world we live in. Today's terror groups are most likely to target multi-cultural pluralist democracies. Furthermore, despite their dislike for such societies, these terrorists can live and train within them until the day comes when they are ordered to destroy the very people they have lived and dined with.  As we see these days, the regular terrorist is a mercenary soldier, ready to die for a price.  It is more important to nail his sponsors who are funding him but are unwilling to die. These terrorists trained in Taliban-based countries are followers of an extremist fascist ideology and use religion to justify the slaughter of both Muslims and non-Muslims.  

The country's slide into extremism began with the BNP-led alliance rule in 2001.  It started with a perception that was only challenged in the wake of serial bomb blasts in 63 districts simultaneously. Khaleda Zia government's pro-Jamaat policies were an attempt to win support from the radicals at a time when her popularity was waning and the development rhetoric was convincing fewer and fewer people. The country's fresh wave of reforms should have started from the madrasas where some of these institutions offer religious education almost free to the poorest children, and they are now at the core of support for the religious parties. In a sense, these madrasas work where the country's education system has failed, but with it some of them have brought in the dangerous culture of extremism. At the same time, we can't fail to notice that large amounts of foreign money poured into Bangladesh both legally and illegally to establish and repair mosques and madrasas, and to support orphanages. 

The writer is a columnist of The Daily Star. 
E-mail: aukhandk@gmail.com