What’s Happening Inside the Army: Who’s Pulling the Strings and Who’s Reaping the Benefits?

Manjurul Haque

The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday ordered the issuance of arrest warrants against Sheikh Hasina and 30 others in two cases filed on charges of crimes against humanity through enforced disappearances. Among them are 14 serving and 10 retired army officers. The rest are Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed and two former directors general of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The accused have been ordered to be arrested and produced before the court by October 22.

⭕️
Before undertaking this daring act, the International Criminal Tribunal has enacted the ICT Act stating that it has ‘jurisdiction’.

Just two days before the warrant was issued, the Law Ministry issued a notification amending the International Criminal Tribunals (Tribunal) Act, 1973 (20-C) on Monday night.

Prosecutors say, “As a result of this notification, military officers who are charged with criminal offenses will no longer be able to hold any government job position.”

⭕️
Now, for good reason, the question has arisen; if a member or officer of the military is accused of a criminal offense, can he be tried in a military court under the military’s own law, or under conventional criminal law?

When asked about the legal aspects of the trial of army officers, the ISPR said it had “no comment.”

On the 11th, a briefing from the army headquarters stated that the army is not involved in disappearances and murders ‘as a force’.

According to Gazi M.H. Tamim, prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, ‘According to the constitution and the tribunal law, there is no obstacle to the trial of army officers in the tribunal.’

According to former army officers, ‘There are more examples of such cases in the judicial system of Bangladesh. Earlier, in 2014, in the Narayanganj seven murder case, charges were filed against three then army officers who were subordinate to RAB. At that time, they were retired from the army. Later, the three former officers were tried under the existing criminal law.’

Former army officer Major General (Retd.) Dr. Md. Naeem Ashfaq Chowdhury said that criminal cases are usually filed in conventional courts.

“Criminal crimes are supposed to be tried in civil courts. However, if they are to be tried under martial law, they can be brought to a military court with the permission of the judge of that court. In this case, there are two options.”

⭕️
Former army officer Ziaul Ahsan, who was previously arrested in a case of crimes against humanity, had filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the International Crimes Tribunal to try the July-August genocide and crimes against humanity. The tribunal rejected that application in January this year. Lawyers say the ‘Seven Murders Case’ is the biggest example of which law can be used to try army members or officers.

In other words, initiatives are now being taken to try and punish them, citing the example of the ‘seven murder cases’.

It is understood that the ICT and its prosecutors have gone into hiding.

⭕️
This time, the government’s ICT is trying to disintegrate the army. And when is that? When the country is in a state of war in the subcontinent due to multiple international conspiracies. On the one hand, Pakistan is bombing Kabul with airstrikes against the TTP, while on the other hand, Pakistani army officers are giving Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar tours. When the US guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald has anchored in Chittagong with a crew of 327 for a joint naval exercise with the Bangladesh Navy. When there are signs of the start of the postponed Pak-India war again. When there is a conspiracy to create a ‘buffer zone’ with Myanmar – a part of India – a part of Bangladesh. When clear allegations are being made against Yunus in Western countries, at that time, ICT has issued a case and arrest warrants against these 24 army officers.

⭕️
What are these signs of?

The answer to this question will be found if we start connecting the vague dots of the past. After August 5 last year, when BNP and anti-discrimination students were taking control of the field, Jamaat took over the administration, educational institutions, police, BGB, a section of the army, the secretariat and other areas of power, and took control of them and expelled everyone outside their ideology. Only if they can destroy the army will they be able to implement their long-standing ‘Ayatollah Khomeini Method’. That is, forming an ‘armed mass militia’ to divide, weaken and confuse the army and wield it as a weapon.

⭕️
DGFI-Former Chief Hamidul Haque, who is a Jamaat supporter, Hamidul Haque and General Waqar had together assured on August 2, 2012 that the army would not open fire on the protesting students and public. They directly stood on the side of the students. Almost all the generals, including these two, despite being in favor of the July movement, now feel cheated because arrest warrants have been issued against them in two cases filed for crimes against humanity committed through enforced disappearance.

⭕️
This arrest warrant has been sent to 12 offices. All 56 of them sat with General Walker. All of them expressed strong anger. On August 5, those army officers received the ‘reward’ for ‘evading responsibility, disobeying the government’s orders’ behind the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government and opening barricades for the protesters instead of taking measures to suppress the movement and ousting Hasina – the passports of 40 officers of the military have been canceled and a ban on foreign travel has been imposed. Of these, 18 are serving officers, the rest are former and current army officers except one. 2 are non-commissioned warrant officers and the rest are commissioned officers. In addition, cases have been filed against 51 people, including 9 family members, 2 politicians and retired army officers, on charges of murder, disappearance and human rights violations.

 

⭕️
Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, the army chief during the Sheikh Hasina era. He recently went to the Disappearance Commission and gave testimony. He strongly demanded that the disappeared persons, their families and others who are aware of this matter should disclose all information to the Disappearance Commission. He expressed his strong anger at the officials involved in the disappearances and murders and asked to ensure their trial. In July last year, Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, Brigadier Sakhawat Hossain (retd) and Begum Khaleda Zia’s security advisors encouraged the protesters on the streets and were present on the streets as protesters themselves.

⭕️
The main complainant and main witness is Brigadier General Azmi, son of Ghulam Azam. He says that he was tortured by being kept in a mirror for several years. Among them are Salahuddin Quader’s son Hummam Quader, Mir Kashem Ali’s son Barrister Arman, and UPDF leader Michael Chakma.

⭕️
On the one hand, all of them are claiming to be victims and seeking justice, while on the other hand, serving army officers will go to court or jail in a prison van after performing their duties on the orders of the administration? None of the 56 generals can accept this. Waqar said pitifully – ‘I have gone door to door to prevent all this’. He has indeed gone to everyone, but no one from the government has assured him. He is said to be very saddened by the thought of all this.

⭕️
Now, if such measures are taken against the army officers, it will not be possible for them to maintain the chain of command of the junior officers. Thinking of this, the army officers are pressuring Waqar to take direct action, because Waqar promised that he would try to prevent a case or to delay this matter. It goes without saying that Waqar has failed. This time, the army officers have also called former army officers to the army headquarters. They are now unable to have any trust in the Yunus government. That is, the current and former army officers and the EUNUS government are facing each other. This has happened several times before, and compromises have also been made with the efforts of both sides, but this time, perhaps something Esper-Osper is going to happen, which a few lawyers, advisors and student leaders do not have the power to prevent.

⭕️
Waqar Uzzaman has tried to compromise one after another by ‘making everyone happy and trustworthy’. The very people he has ‘protected’ and suffered various slanders and insults for the past fourteen months have now put him to the ultimate test of his life.

Meanwhile, General Walker has called a ‘meeting’ on Sunday. Maybe he will try to ‘balance’ something there. But there is no doubt that he has been ‘tested’ for the last fourteen months.

⭕️
Section 74 of Chapter 8 of the Army Act states that ‘If any soldier is arrested for trial, he shall be handed over to the appropriate authority within 48 hours. The 15 people ‘taken into custody’ as described by the Army Headquarters shall be handed over to the court by this Sunday.’ It seems that to keep the image of the soldier intact, they can keep them in ‘temporary custody’ or ‘sub-jail’ at the cantonment and let them be tried there. That way, the scene of being arrested in handcuffs can be avoided.

⭕️
The threat that was being heard from several student leaders, advisors and coordinators from July-August last year, saying ‘we were ready for civil war if the pot did not change on August 5’, is now quite clear. Why is the ISI coming frequently? Why are Pakistani-Turkish weapons coming by ship? Why are Turkey-Qatar trying to set up factories to manufacture military equipment in this country? Why have the suspected militants been acquitted? Why did the army not take enough initiative to stop the mob despite getting magisterial powers, while they jumped in and shot ‘like an enemy country’ in Gopalganj… Are the dots now starting to connect?

October 11, 2026