ED: Working together to fight terrorism

Regional cooperation is key towards sustainable development, especially for developing nations such as ours, as we have editorialized numerous times in the past.

Recently, the Bangladesh and India police have decided to work jointly against terrorism, in order to nurture more secure environments for their citizens in their respective nations.

This is a crucial and laudable step, one which has become increasingly necessary in a globalized world -- a world which contains several highly organized terrorist groups, which oftentimes seek to destroy the great strides developing nations have taken on their journey towards progress.

This decision resulted in the first delegation-level virtual meeting between the two police chiefs of the respective countries, with the aim to strengthen cooperation and ties between the two forces, with the first step being to set up designated “nodal points” which would allow for timely and effective counter-terrorism responses.

Indeed, as the Holey Artisan terrorist attack showcased, globalized terrorism presents Bangladesh with a plethora of novel challenges which require extensive training and knowledge in a field we have had little experience in -- and working with India in this regard will go a long way towards ensuring that we remain prepared in the future.

The current government’s stellar response in the wake of the Holey Artisan attack in 2016 has meant that we have treated the threat of militancy and radicalization seriously, and this latest step of cooperation has further cemented that belief.

We hope that, on the 50th year since Bangladesh’s birth, this most recent step is one amongst many taken to celebrate Bangladesh’s rich history of tolerance, cooperation, and “friendship to all,” values on which the nation was founded and on which we will continue to grow as a country.