Security beef up at key installations is important but not enough

THE New Nation reported on Tuesday that the government has beefed up the security measures in and around Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka and two other major airports in Chittagong and Sylhet along with some other key installations in the wake of the terrorist attacks on civilians in recent past. These are some very important security steps at sensitive places that any sensible government can’t avoid, but question arises as to how long the nation will have to endure such threats restricting public movements.
It appears that the government has imposed the security measure at all those sensitive places following the midnight grenade attack on Shiite Tazia procession and the killing of a policeman in the capital city. Earlier, two foreign nationals were also shot dead by miscreants. No doubt these events have spread panic at all level forcing the government to take the additional safety measures in crowded places like airports, railway stations, oil depots and power plants.
The government has moved out foreign workers at power plants and other installations to safe residential areas and their movement has also been streamlined to avert risks. People believe that such measures particularly at airports will reduce risks but send wrong signals to other international airports and the global community that Bangladesh has become a high security country. The situation looks like a double edged sword — the high alert is not good for the image of the country; which the government also wants to downplay. But one can’t sit crossed legged either making the situation here complex.
As it appears the security risks are not only making the government nervous, the entire nation is feeling some way insecure leaving aside the confusion whether local outfits or Islamic State (IS) terrorists have carried out the attacks. The most pertinent question is that some people are trying to destabilize the country. It is a highly charged situation when a highly politicized police force – both inefficient and also overburdened with VVIP security tasks can’t handle the situation; they need people’s support to succeed. Police should therefore go after the real criminals and innocent should not become victims in their hands.