IN the recent past, Bangladesh has seen a notable rise in the number of grisly killings believed to have been carried out by extremist elements.

Police launched a crackdown on Tuesday after the murder of a Hindu priest in one of the country’s western districts.

Earlier on Sunday, the wife of a police officer tracing militants and a Christian businessman were killed in different incidents.

In fact, the list of targets is quite extensive, and seems to be expanding. Amongst those who have been killed so far are bloggers and academics, while religious minorities are also in the cross hairs.

Shia, Sufi, Ahmadi and Buddhist individuals or places of worship have all been targeted.

According to the Bangladeshi media, in the last 18 months at least 47 people have been killed. While the state says it is fighting back, critics and rights groups have claimed that the government in Dhaka is not doing enough. For example, Amnesty International has said the killings have created “a climate of impunity”, and has urged the authorities to deliver justice.

Pakistan knows the dangers of letting extremism and militancy go unchecked and Bangladesh would do well to address the problem before violence becomes uncontrollable.

Amongst the groups believed to be involved in the bloodshed are Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh as well as local affiliates of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State militant group.

Though the state has largely rejected the presence of Al Qaeda and IS fighters, media reports indicate otherwise.

Some Bangladeshi papers have published extensive information on the militants’ actions; it has been revealed that a number of Bangladeshi militants have fought for IS in Syria and have now returned home.

For the Bangladesh government to deny the existence of foreign-linked fighters will not make them go away.

Dhaka needs to redouble its counterterrorism efforts and break the networks of extremists, or else radical elements could seriously harm the fabric of society through their tactics of brutality and violence.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2016