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‘No existence of Taliban here’, says Bangladesh home minister Khan
His comments come after Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam said the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan would lead to a new wave of militancy in the sub-continent, including in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh government on Sunday said that there is no existence of the Taliban in the nation, dismissing speculations that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will encourage terror activities in the country. Bangladesh home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said there are no threats from the smaller outfits present in Bangladesh as they will not be able to create chaos.
His comments come after Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam said the victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan would lead to a new wave of militancy in the sub-continent, including in Bangladesh, news agency PTI reporting citing media outlet Dhaka Tribune. “Bangladesh is a country of peace. Taliban have come to power in Afghanistan and Kabul is located far from Bangladesh. It has no effect in Bangladesh. There are many small notorious groups in the country. But they have no capacity to create chaos,” Kamal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. He was speaking to media persons after the inauguration of a supermarket in Savar.
“Some miscreants are appearing in different names to create anarchy in the country,” he added. The Bangladesh government has repeatedly denied the existence of any foreign terrorist groups in the country.
Experts warn about terrorist groups in Bangladesh
Security experts expressed concern that groups like Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which was founded by Afghan war veterans, could grow in strength following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Gautam Mukhopadhyay of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) who is also the former Indian ambassador to Afghanistan told news agency PTI that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan will have a ripple effect in the region.
“If the Taliban takes over Afghanistan, we will see its ripple effects all over… they believe in an Islamic Emirate which by its nature is international. We foresee a rise in extremism not only among radicals in Bangladesh but also among Rohingyas,” Mukhopadhyay was quoted as saying.
