[Bangla Daily Star] The government is scrutinising the laws to ban Jamaat-Shibir, as their terrorist and hard boy activities have wreaked havoc across the country, said Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday."There have been strong demands from different quarters for banning the politics of Jamaat and its student wing Shibir," she said.
Briefing foreign diplomats at the her ministry in the evening on the recent violence and atrocities by Jamaat-Shibir and their allies, Dipu Moni said the government was not thinking of deploying army to tackle the ongoing violence.
She said the government was also investigating whether there was any funding for the terror acts.
Diplomats from around 40 countries attended the meeting. Sources said ambassadors and high commissioners of Russia, Canada, the UK and the Philippines raised several questions on the ongoing situation.
Talking to news hounds after the diplomatic briefing, the foreign minister said the diplomats had enquired mainly about three things -- plan to ban Jamaat, possibility of army deployment and funding behind violence and its source.
On deployment of army, she said, "It seems the situation does not require it. But the government will take whatever steps necessary to protect the lives and property of the people."
Dipu Moni said the foreign diplomas while asking the questions implied that there had been a huge funding behind the Jamaat-Shibir violence and if so, what had been the source, and also whether the government was investigating that.
"There have already been a lot of discussions on the matter in public domain and some independent researchers are working on it," she added.
Emerging from the briefing, German Ambassador Albrecht Conze expressed grave concern over the loss of lives and property.
"The loss of innocent lives and public and private property is a matter of great regret," he said, adding, "In the rundown of election in 10 months, I don't know how this country can sustain, as in the coming months 10 verdicts and 13 appeals will happen. If the appeals are rejected, there will be more violence."
The German ambassador said constitutionally available options were the best way to resolve the problems.
British High Commissioner Robert Gibson also expressed worry about countrywide violence and deaths.
Meanwhile briefing the diplomats, the foreign minister hoped that the international community would appreciate a new paradigm being set by Bangladesh to conduct the trials of 1971 war criminals and a strong sense of national ownership.