Dhaka, Nov. 6 -- he spectre of unrest in the vital RMG sector, whose revenues contribute close to 80 percent of the country's export earnings, is ominous at the best of times. In the current climate though, a particular set of circumstances (see below) combine to put the country on a powder keg already. And that makes this latest round of agitation, which lasted almost the entire week and may yet continue into next week, very dangerous.

We have also come across disturbing revelations from police and intelligence sources that speak to unsavoury forces attempting to hijack the movement from the very beginning. Indeed, how else do you explain the unrest refusing to die down, even after eliciting the most prompt and sensitive response to th...