Amid coup speculation in Bangladesh, Army chief refutes rumours

Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman

Amid fast-spreading rumours of a coup in Bangladesh after recent political developments and the deployment of military personnel and security forces across the country, especially in Dhaka, Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman rejected all speculations about a state of emergency in the emergency and a possible plan for a military takeover of the country.

The Bangladesh Army Chief has warned people about misinformation and alerted that rumours should not cause distraction. General Waker made these comments on Monday during the “Officer’s Address” at Dhaka Cantonment, reported Dhaka Tribune. The meeting took place amid speculations that the Bangladesh army would impose a possible martial law or declare a state of emergency in the current political situation.

The Army statement came as tensions started gripping Bangladesh after the NCP, which was floated last month with widely assumed blessings of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, accused the military of political interference.

“Do not react to provocation. We must stay focused on our duty to support the country’s stability. Instruct your soldiers to do the same. Work with wisdom. The nation expects a lot from us, and fulfilling those expectations is our sacred duty,” he said.

Additionally, The Bangladesh Army on Sunday rejected allegations made by a newly formed student-led party that the military was hatching a plan to rehabilitate deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, calling them "hilarious and an immature array of stories."

The National Citizen Party (NCP) staged protest rallies at the premier Dhaka University campus on Saturday, vowing to thwart at any cost a “military-backed plot” to rehabilitate the party.

The military headquarters, in a statement issued to Sweden-based Bangladesh-centric news outlet Netro News, said," “It was nothing other than a political stunt.” The Army called the claims "hilarious and an immature array of stories." The statement, however, said Army chief General Waker Uz Zaman met with two NCP leaders Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam on March 11 at his Dhaka Cantonment residence as they had long sought a "courtesy meeting" with him.

Meanwhile, chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has said the interim government is fully committed to further developing and strengthening the country and delivering the full benefits of independence to the public. "We are working to establish good governance and justice to ensure people-oriented and sustainable development, and ensure transparency and accountability through necessary reforms in all spheres of the state," he said in a message on the occasion of Independence and National Day, to be observed on Wednesday.