BANGLADESH: When the army lies

by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury

(November 17, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Army is the symbol of sovereignty in every nation. Military services are considered to be the best symbol of patriotism in United States and a number of advanced nations. In South Asia, army never interfered into country's politics only in India. This is the only nation in the region, where, army is considered not only as the defenders of sovereignty of the country but also the institution, which never interferes into politics. Indian army is neither partisan nor politicized but truly focused on patriotism and commitments towards sovereignty of the motherland.

In contrary, army in Pakistan and Bangladesh has always been over enthusiastic in murdering politicians, interfering in politics as well behaving like mere political thugs. The very first brutality of Bangladesh army took place with the barbaric assassination of the Founding Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and members of his family. Since then, Bangladesh Army has illegally interfered into politics a number of times and during the past 40 years of independence of the country, more than 17 years went under military Regime or military controlled government.

The January 11, 2007 interference of Bangladesh Army into politics under the leadership of the then army chief General Moeen U Ahmed will possibly be written as the worst part of dark history of Bangladesh, when the military controlled Regime frantically tried to completely destroy country's democratic institutions thus labeling politicians as 'corrupts'.

Unlawful arrest, torture and indecent treatment in custody to Sheikh Hasina [current Prime Minister] and Khaleda Zia [former Prime Minister] clearly indicated that, military officials in Bangladesh were trying their best in killing the democratic institutions in the country not only by putting false allegations on the leaders of the two largest political parties in the country, but also were plotting to seize power through setting several 'political' jokers if not power-monger monkeys.

General Moeen U Ahmed went so audacious that he even started making public statements against leading politicians in the country as well as democratic institutions. But, unfortunately, though democratic government came in power through general election in 2009, there has not been any action against General Moeen or his gang members, for reason, though predicted but still unknown.

It may be mentioned here that, during January 11, 2007 – December 2008, a number of army officers became millionaires by extracting money from various individuals, politicians and businessmen in Bangladesh, taking the advantage of unhealthy situation created by General Moeen and his gang.

Though democratically elected government came in power in the country in 2009, it is greatly apprehended that power-monger officers inside Bangladesh Army may not completely give up their ugly desire of sabotaging democracy and re-establishing reign of terror through military rule. Such signals were very prominent just recently when leader of the opposition as well former Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia was indecently evicted from her residence inside Dhaka Cantonment during late hours of November 12 and early hours of November 13.

Being signaled by the military supremos, hundreds of members of Bangladesh Police and Rapid Action Battalion entered the garrison area to visibly put the former Prime Minister into house arrest and force her in vacating the residence. When eviction process of Khaleda Zia was continuing inside Dhaka Cantonment [where political leaders as well as members of media were not allowed to be present], Inter Service Public Relations [ISPR] of the Armed Forced in Bangladesh played the nastiest mockery and trick, which once again has greatly damaged the remaining image of the Bangladesh Army.

ISPR is expected to provide the people with information to bridge the civil-military gap, which has widened over the years in Bangladesh. But, instead of playing its proper role, ISPR continued to give false and manufactured statements centering the eviction of Khaleda Zia from her residence. When she was being forcefully evicted from the house, ISPR issued a statement saying, the former Prime Minister was leaving her house willingly. Hours after the eviction and maltreatment during such indecent incident, Khaleda Zia appeared before the members of the media in tears and narrated the entire episode of eviction and serious maltreatment. Media appearance of the leader of the opposition was widely broadcasted in private television channels, which for obvious reason generated tremendous anger in the minds of the civilians. She narrated how members of law enforcing agencies severely maltreated and forced her in leaving the house after keeping her into visible house arrest for hours. She also complained that, door of her bed room was broken by the members of the law enforcing agencies before she was almost pulled out of the room.

ISPR denied the allegations and accused Khaleda Zia of lying. Next day [on November 14], the ISPR arranged for a guided tour of a group of journalists [although denied entry into the area only the previous day], into Khaleda Zia's former residence to 'prove' that her allegations of breaking into the house, her bedroom, etc, were baseless. However, the things the journalists saw, the photographs they took, only a few of them published, speak of things contrary to what the ISPR claimed in the state-run television. There were still visible marks of strike near the latch plate of the door of a bedroom of the former PM, with clear signs of hurriedly done repair works on the door and the adjacent wall damaged by the strikes of tools like shovels, fresh plastering of walls near the door and even a newly replaced door at Khaleda Zia's bedroom, et cetera. Moreover, there are photographs, and videotapes, of boxes reportedly loaded with household items piled up on the floors of the house, suggesting that the former prime minister was gradually preparing to leave the house soon.

There is no indication about names of army officers who might have played key role in such eviction of the former Prime Minister as well subsequent role of ISPR, but the entire matter is surely of grave concern. On the other hand, several former military officials, including a few top figures in Khaleda Zia's party are putting the entire blame on the party in power said "armed forces were in no way involved in the eviction of Khaleda Zia from her house. The military public relations wing has resorted to falsehood in audacious, filthy and indecent language to counter her claims."

Former chief of army staff, Mahbubur Rahman said, "The government is shifting the blame on the armed forces."

He said, "The attorneys of the opposition leader and newsmen were not allowed in when she was evicted from the house. The next day the military public relations department took a group of newsmen to the house for character assassination of and smear campaign against the BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party] chief."

I personally do not want to believe that the ruling party, Bangladesh Awami League has anything to do with the dubious statement of ISPR or the indecent incident during the eviction. Rather, it is absolute responsibility of the Armed Forces, who now need to investigate the entire episode and come up with their honest statement to the people in order to salvage the remaining image of Bangladesh Armed Forces.

Finally, I would like to draw the attention of policymakers and politicians in Bangladesh to a very important point. In no nation in the world, army garrison is located right within the heart of the capital. It is something, which should always be kept away from the crowded civilian zones. It is time to shift Dhaka Cantonment from the current location in order to contribute in resolving the existing traffic congestions in that area as well as keeping military aloof from public life.

Moreover, the government needs to give exact explanations as to why a huge piece of land at Hatirjheel [Tejgaon-Gulshan link road] has been allocated to army, when the entire property was earmarked to be used as permanent lake in the city to control city's pollution. Such allocation should be immediately cancelled and army should be instructed to move out of this area forthwith. There is no reason for the democratic institutions and forces in Bangladesh to behave like mere appeasers of Armed Forces. We do not want any more military intervention in the country. The entire nation has greatly suffered from such interventions in the past. And, now it is high time that Bangladeshi democracy starts getting stronger and army should never become a party in politics. They must be given a strong signal – enough is enough!