Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a number of ministers and government high officials including divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and some high officials in law enforcement agencies are now on the hit list of different militant organisations, sources in intelligence agencies said yesterday. The militants issued 'death threats' to many of them through letters, SMS and calls over mobile phones.

Intelligence sources believe that the militants sent the death threats to specific people in a bid to foil the trial of the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, war criminals and BDR mutineers. The militants consider a number of ministers and high officials of the government, who are under their hit list, to be a barrier to implementing their various evil designs, said sources in intelligence agencies.

According to them, LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam, law minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed, agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, telecommunications minister Raji Uddin Ahmed Raju, civil aviation minister GM Quader, divisional commissioner of Chittagong and some deputy commissioners (DCs) are on the hit list of militant groups such as Harkat-ul-Jihad (Huji), Jamaatul Mujaheedin of Bangladesh (JMB) and Jagroto Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB).

Civil aviation and tourism minister GM Quader received a death threat over an SMS from the Grameenphone number 01722459396 to the cell phone number of the minister at around 2:30 pm yesterday.The message read, "Time and tide wait for none. But one person waits for you. Do you know who he is? He is Azrail. He surely will come and take your Jaan. So, be careful. It is high time." Private secretary of the minister Shameem Akhter informed that he has filed a general diary (No. 1694) with Uttara police station in this regard yesterday.

ABM Zakir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Uttara Model Thana, said they are investing the matter seriously and "we are taking necessary steps to arrest the person, who has issued the threat. He will be netted as early as possible."LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam recently told this correspondent that he received a 'death threat' over mobile phone several times. "That's why I have changed my mobile SIM card," he said. When contacted over telephone, law minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed said, "I do not bother about such death threats on mobile phones."

At a meeting with the divisional commissioners on August 20 last, the divisional commissioner of Chittagong informed the cabinet secretary that he has received death treats in a letter from a Huji leader recently. A high official at the home ministry said terrorists and militant groups have been threatening the ministers and some government high officials for the last few months. The ministry has already asked different law enforcement and intelligence agencies to arrest the people, who are issuing threats by using phone. At the same time, intelligence agencies have advised the ministers and the officials to move carefully.

Home secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder recently informed that the National Monitoring Centre (NMC) seized at least 87 mobile SIM cards after tracking phone calls of suspected terrorists and militants. The NMC was established in order to track mobile phone calls of the suspected terrorists and militants. It is tracking 100 phone calls every day passing through different phone operators.