Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff General Waqel-uz-Zaman has quelled heated anti-India comments heard at a student-led “solidarity rally” on December 31. Photo credit: Reuters
Bangladesh needs to create an enabling environment for reconciliation between the country’s various stakeholders, said Army Chief General Waqel-uz-Zaman. In a candid interview with prominent news daily Prothom Alo, he expressed some critical views on the current caretaker government’s security failures and said that India and Bangladesh are interdependent in many aspects. , said both countries should therefore always keep this reality in mind. while making decisions.
Editorial: Let’s tango | About the relationship between India and Bangladesh
“We want a peaceful environment. Peace and stability are now very important for the economic and social development of Bangladesh. Without these two factors, there can be no development or good governance. That is why we need to restore tolerance to each other. We must create an environment of national consensus,” said General Waqel uz Zaman, touching on some of the country’s key issues. said.
Bangladesh was on the verge of a public showdown on December 31, 2024, between the anti-discrimination student movement and the military-backed interim government, which had successfully overthrown Sheikh Hasina’s government five months earlier. However, the student activists, who had still achieved victory, wanted to: “Burying” the Constitution of Bangladesh.
The July Declaration’s demands to abolish the 1972 constitution, which even Bangladesh’s former military rulers followed, created a tense situation on the streets, and finally the caretaker government issued the following assurances: It was scheduled to declare its own July Declaration to formalize the legacy of the July-August uprising. Surprisingly, this call for the abolition of the 1972 Constitution was met with opposition from prominent leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, with Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas describing the call to abolish the 1972 Constitution as “fascist”.
General Waqel-uz-Zaman also quelled heated anti-India rhetoric heard at a student-led “solidarity rally” on December 31. “India is an important neighbor (of Bangladesh). We depend on India in many ways and India is also provided with facilities by us,” he said.
He described the relationship between India and Bangladesh as one in which each side is dependent on the other for security needs, economic activities and medical needs of the Bangladeshi people. “Look, the important thing is that we will not do anything to our neighbors that is contrary to their strategic interests. At the same time, we expect that our neighbors will not do anything that is contrary to our interests. ” said the Army chief. While noting that security concerns on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border and in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were of great importance to Bangladesh, he urged India to stop border killings and give Bangladesh a “fair share of water.” ”.
The interview with General Waqel-uz-Zaman was a hot topic among Bangladeshi observers for several reasons, including the message it sought to convey. Expectations were growing that the military would secure a more direct role in light of the breakdown in law and order, especially in view of the dysfunctionality of Bangladesh’s police administration. Administrative powers were granted to the Bangladeshi military in September, but so far they have not been fully utilized.
General Waqel-uz-Zaman pledged full support to the transitional government led by Chief Counselor Mohammad Yunus, but importantly said that the restoration of domestic institutions would depend on a politically empowered government. I made it clear. “This requires a political party and a government. This is not possible without politics and a political government.”
He also expressed strong concerns about the restoration of Bangladesh’s police capacity, given the number of mob judicial trials that have occurred since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. “They (the army) have been on the battlefield for five months now. As long as the police can organize themselves quickly, I don’t have to worry,” said General Weikar Uz Zaman.
However, Prothom Alo’s interview did not include any questions regarding Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India, which has greatly disrupted relations between New Delhi and Dhaka in the past few months.
issued – January 1, 2025 11:19pm IST
