By Dastagir Jahangir, Editor, The Voice
On May 20, General Waker Uz Zaman, the Chief of Army Staff, is expected to address his officers at the Army Headquarters in full combat uniform—a symbolic moment that comes at a time of extraordinary tension within Bangladesh’s military and political establishment. But behind the call to arms lies a deeper crisis of confidence—both within the ranks and among the people of this nation.
Sources close to the Army Chief reveal that General Waker is visibly upset, and perhaps rightly so. The Yunus-led interim regime, which took power promising reform, neutrality, and a democratic transition, has instead begun acting with authoritarian arrogance. The most disturbing sign yet: attempts to remove General Waker himself and install Lt. Gen. Kamrul Hasan in his place. Hasan’s recent meeting with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tracy Ann Jacobson, in defiance of traditional military protocol, has not gone unnoticed by the senior brass.
But the betrayal runs even deeper.
Many in the armed forces are furious over the government’s decision to quietly release convicted members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) involved in the 2009 mutiny that led to the murder of 57 Army officers. This was not just a mutiny; it was a national trauma. The release of these men—some of whom were sentenced to death or life imprisonment—reopens a painful wound that never fully healed.
Equally alarming is the release of notorious Islamist militants, including Jashimuddin Rahmani, the spiritual leader of the banned terror outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team. That this decision was reportedly influenced by pressure from groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir raises critical questions about who is really steering the country’s future—and for whose agenda.
General Waker was once seen as a man of reason, a stabilizer in chaotic times. He had promised a free, fair, and inclusive election. That promise now lies shattered after the interim regime—under which he is technically still a serving Chief—banned the Awami League, the country’s oldest and largest political party. Whether one supports or opposes the Awami League, banning it from political participation is not democracy. It is dismemberment.
The Army Chief must now ask himself: how far is he willing to allow this slide into lawlessness and extremism to go? How much longer can he remain silent while the ideals of 1971 and the sacrifices of his own fallen comrades are undermined?
His address on May 20 may be remembered as a routine military affair. Or it may be remembered as the moment when a soldier stood back up—for his institution, for the people, and for the future of Bangladesh.
The nation is watching. And it still dares to ask: Will General Waker keep his promise?
