"It is evident now that the suicide bombers want to portray Bangladesh as a terrorism-stricken and dysfunctional state and aim at crafting the opportunity for intervention by foreign powers through destroying political stability," he said.

Nizami, also the minister for industries, made this comment at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday, a day after nine people including two lawyers and a policeman were killed in two suicide bomb attacks in Chittagong and Gazipur.

The Jamaat ameer did not mention the name of any foreign powers despite insistence from the press. He just said: "It is not difficult to understand the impression of those who consider that Bangladesh's situation is worse than Iraq and Afghanistan. We all know what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Nizami alleged that the secretary for diplomatic affairs of a big political party (referring to Awami League), from a seminar in Dhaka after the August 17 blasts, had officially expressed the desire for outside intervention in the country."

"Those who are carrying out bombings have no relation with Islam"I don't think they have any other ill motive than creating a havoc and make opportunity for another party," said the industries minister.

Asked about this 'another party', he said: "This party arranged the seminar in the capital and sought foreign intervention."

On whether Jamaat's previous denial of Bangla Bhai's existence has resulted in the rise of Islamist militants, he said: "We never supported taking law in own hands, whoever he is....You cannot say that we earlier denied it and are now admitting it."

Asked to elaborate his statement published in a national daily two days ago that the government might have used Bangla Bhai, Nizami said he did not make such comments. "I rather said when a mass resistance against the outlaws was built up there, Bangla Bhai went there to establish his leadership."

Referring to the media coverage, he said, "Those who do constructive politics do not get appropriate publicity or get no publicity at all sometimes, but those involved in negative and destructive politics get more publicity."

"In this connection I earlier said that this publicity would encourage many. We have repeatedly said this," the Jamaat chief continued.

On the past involvement of some arrested JMB men with Jamaat and Shibir, he said they might have been involved with Jamaat or Shibir in their student life but the party cannot shoulder the responsibility of their militant activities later.

"No one has any proof of Jamaat's link with the militants. A quarter is determined to implicate Jamaat in these incidents. We have noticed deliberate attempts to find Jamaat's relation with the arrestees."

Denying the information that 40 percent of those who were arrested after the August 17 blasts are Jamaat activists, Nizami said: "The responsibility of proving this goes to those who made this allegation. I want to make it clear that there is not a single general supporter among those (bombers), let alone an active worker (of Jamaat)."

Commenting on the opposition leaders' statement that bombing would continue until Jamaat is axed from the ruling four-party alliance, he said: "It gives a message that the bombers want to force BNP to drop Jamaat from the alliance."

Assistant secretaries general of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, Abdul Qader Molla and Mujibur Rahman, and Nayeb-e-Ameer Mokbul Ahmed were present at the press conference.