Bangladesh Army Chief Calls For Elections By December- wna24
Dhaka: Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman on Tuesday said that national elections in the country should be held by December this year, adding that the Chief Advisor to the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, is in agreement with him on the timeline.
Highlighting concerns over the poor law and order situation in the country, General Waker-Uz-Zaman said that the situation in Bangladesh has turned absolutely “lawless” due to the infighting between political factions.
“We are responsible for the mess in Bangladesh. We are in the middle of a shelf manufacturing crisis. If things continue like this, there will never be peace in Bangladesh. We hope to have a free, fair, and inclusive election in Bangladesh. I hope the government will help create that situation. We must have an election by December or before that. Yunus agrees with me,” the Bangladesh Army chief said at an army event in Dhaka.
Coming out in support of security forces, the Bangladesh Army chief said that the interim government should not undermine law enforcement machinery.
“You cannot undermine police and security officials and assume that there will be peace in the country. Security officials are in a panic. They are facing allegations and charges,” the top army official said.
Army chief Zaman asserted that national security is not solely the military’s responsibility.
“There are 2 lakh paramilitary and police officials, while I only have 30,000 army personnel. It is not possible to manage the situation with the army alone,” he said.
In a final plea, the Army Chief urged all political factions to come together and prioritize national interest over power struggles.
“Let’s stop fighting and work together before it’s too late,” he warned.
In a recent virtual interaction with widows and children of the police officers killed during the July-August violent anti-government protests in 2024, deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina said, “He (Yunus) dissolved all inquiry committees and unleashed terrorists to butcher people. They are destroying Bangladesh.”
According to a UN report, in the run-up to and after the fall of the Awami League regime, 450 out of the country’s 639 police stations were destroyed or damaged in mob attacks.