Military renews vow to uphold charter

The Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs on Monday renewed their resolve before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence Ministry.

"The meeting also discussed country's overall law and order situation," panel’s Chairman M Idris Ali told reporters.

He said the meeting stressed on finding solutions to problems without violating the Constitution under any circumstances.

With a history of military intervention in politics, the country’s influential army is often considered to be an important stakeholder when a national crisis deepens.
The renewed commitment by the military top brass could come as a warning to the section often active to come to power through backdoors.

Bangladesh has experienced at least 19 failed coups while two incidents of bloodshed had left the nation’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman dead.

The latest military intervention come in 2006 after former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia failed to arrange a peaceful transition of power amid an apparent attempt to return to power after running her full five-year term.

A caretaker government, then constitutionally allowed to stay in power for 90 days, remained in office for nearly two years under the backing of military headed by former Army chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed.

Amid street violence in recent months, many quarters often air their concern that military intervention could be inevitable if two major political parties fail to resolve the ongoing political crisis over who would oversee next elections slated to be held by early next year.

The latest renewal of commitment from the top military executives has also come amid a purported call from opposition chief Khaleda Zia for a possible military interference in the wake of recent violence and an unseen threat of more violence.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had said in Bogra on Mar 24 that ‘the military will not sit idle’ if the country slips into anarchy.

Her remarks had come amid a large-scale countrywide violence unleashed by the Jamaat supporters after the International Crimes Tribunal pronounced death sentence for Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee for his war crimes in 1971.

Khaleda later drew flak from several quarters for the remark. The ruling Awami League leaders alleged Khaleda was trying to provoke a military intervention in Bangladesh.

The BNP, however, rejected the allegation, saying Khaleda's statement did not hint at any army intervention.

The members of the parliamentary committee took turns during Monday's meeting to castigate the former Prime Minister for that comment of her.

"Khaleda has done an act that opposes Constitution. Her provoking comments cannot be acceptable ever," Ali said.

He said the other members of the panel expressed disagreement with Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad when the former dictator supported the programmes of Hifazat-e Islam.

"Allah Himself will protect Islam. No human being can do this. Who has given Hifazat the responsibility (to safeguard Islam)?” Idris Ali asked.

A Chittagong-based radical Islamist group Hifazat, allegedly backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami, recently rallied in Dhaka's Motijheel area to push for their 13-point charter of demands that includes ensuring punishment to ‘atheist bloggers’, cancellation of the National Women Development Policy 2011 and end to open mixing of sexes in public places.

Both BNP and Jatiya Party supported the demands.

Senior Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim on Apr 8 alleged the BNP hatched conspiracies to oust his party-led incumbent government using the Apr 6 long march of the Hifazat-e Islam.

"The members at the meeting also spoke about the possibilities of reaching an acceptable solution through talks over the current political situation," a Parliament Secretariat media statement released soon after the committee meeting said.

It also recommended the government to identify those 'absconding conspirators involved with attempts to oust it', the statement added.