PM for concerted counter-terrorism drive

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called for joint and coordinated efforts to combat the 'multi-dimensional terrorism' the world faces now.

"The kind of security challenges that confronts mankind now cannot be faced alone by any country," she said Tuesday while inaugurating the 7th Asia-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference in Dhaka.

"I hope this Conference will remove the walls that divide you and reduce the physical and psychological distance between and among you. It will help develop better cooperation and understanding," she told the audience.

Hasina said that the world was now facing a crisis with militant organisations sprouting up in several countries to pose great risk for all.

Referring to her 2009 speech at the UN General Assembly, she said: "Yet, today, I would like to declare once again that no amount of threat will be able to stop me from going after them. I will not step back even if it endangers my life.

"I remain obligated until my death to the pledge of eradicating terrorism that I made at the United Nation General Assembly in 2009."

Bangladesh maintains a 'zero tolerance' policy towards terrorism, said the prime minister adding political will is the key to fight terrorism.

"Because, our experience shows that militancy spreads when political parties patronize it."

Hasina said that like trade and commerce, terrorism has now a global facet.

"In the past, terrorists used to work in isolation and had hardly any coordination and cooperation with their associates in other parts of the world.

"But now, due to the technological advances, they work in a more coordinated manner with cooperation among different groups all over the world. They now enjoy increased mobility; communicate with greater ease and have vast territory to hide."

She hoped that the conference would come up with better and effective ways to tackle terrorism and security issues so that the key goal of intelligence efforts, "establishing world peace", can be achieved.