Bangladesh army chief vowed to back the country’s interim government ‘come what may’ to help it complete key reforms after the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, so that elections could be held within the next 18 months.
General Waker-uz-Zaman and his troops stood aside in early August amid raging student-led uprising amidst which deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5.
In an interview, Waker told Reuters at his office on Monday that the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus had his full support and outlined a pathway to rid the military of political influence.
Yunus has promised essential reforms in the judiciary, police, electoral system and financial institutions, paving the way for free and fair elections.
Following the reforms, Waker said, a transition to democracy should be made within 18 months, but underlined the need for patience.
‘If you ask me, then I will say that should be the time frame by which we should enter into a democratic process,’ he said.
Main two political parties, the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, had both previously called for elections to be held within three months of the interim government taking office in August.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Reuters on Tuesday that the party would like elections to be held at the earliest opportunity.
‘I am not going to give any particular time period but I think the sooner the better,’ he said. ‘We are ready for elections. Even if they are held tomorrow, we are ready.’
Hasina’s son and adviser Sajeeb Wazed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Waker said he meets Yunus every week and the two have ‘very good relations’, with the military supporting the government’s efforts to stabilise the country after a period of turmoil.
‘I’m sure that if we work together, there is no reason why we should fail,’ he said.
Waker, a career infantry officer who served through these periods of turmoil, said that the army would not intervene politically.
‘I will not do anything which is detrimental to my organisation,’ he said, ‘I am a professional soldier. I would like to keep my army professional.’
In line with reforms proposed since Hasina’s ouster, the army, too, is looking into allegations of wrongdoing by its personnel and has already punished some soldiers, Waker said, without providing further details.
‘If there is any serving member who is found guilty, of course I will take action,’ he said, adding that some military officials may have acted out of line while working at agencies directly controlled by the former prime minister or interior minister.
The interim government has formed a five-member commission to investigate reports of up to 600 people who may have been forcibly ‘disappeared’ by Bangladesh’s security forces since 2009.
In the longer-term, however, Waker wanted to distance the political establishment from the army, a major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions.
‘It can only happen if there is some balance of power between president and prime minister, where the armed forces can be placed directly under president,’ he said.
Bangladesh’s armed forces come under the defence ministry, which is typically controlled by the prime minister, an arrangement that Waker said a constitutional reform process under the interim government could potentially look to amend.
‘The military as a whole must not be used for political purpose ever,’ he said. ‘A soldier must not indulge in politics.’
