Army denies allegations by Hasnat, calls his statement ‘ridiculous and immature’

The Bangladesh Army has rejected the allegations made by Hasnat Abdullah, the southern regional chief organizer of the National Citizen Party (NCP). Hasnat claimed that senior army officials had pressured him to accept a 'refined' version of the Awami League.

The army described Hasnat's statement as "ridiculous and a collection of immature stories." In a statement provided to Netra News, the Army's headquarters referred to the 27-year-old student leader’s post as “purely political stunt-ism and nothing more.”

In the statement issued on Saturday (March 22), the army denied the accusation that they had proposed or pressured Hasnat Abdullah regarding the 'rehabilitation' of the Awami League.

The statement further clarified that on March 11, Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman had met with Hasnat Abdullah at the Dhaka Cantonment. However, the meeting was arranged at the request of Hasnat Abdullah and another NCP leader (northern region), Sarjish Alam.

Two days after Hasnat Abdullah's Facebook post, Netra News published a report on Sunday (March 23) in which he claimed that the Army had attempted to rehabilitate the Awami League with the involvement of the Cantonment. This allegation soon went viral.

Hasnat also posted a short video clip of an interview in which Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan claimed that the Army Chief had been hesitant about the appointment of Muhammad Yunus as the Chief Adviser of the Interim Government. Later, Asif released the full 17-minute interview on his Facebook page.

In its statement, the army said the meeting was not about pressuring or proposing the rehabilitation of the Awami League. Instead, the army explained that Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam had wanted to meet General Waker-uz-Zaman for a long time, and it was at their request that the meeting took place.

The Army further clarified that Sarjis Alam had contacted his military adviser to arrange the meeting, and the two leaders were asked to come to the Army headquarters. They waited at the Army building until General Waker-uz-Zaman met with them after completing his official duties.

In Hasnat Abdullah’s post, he had accused the army of presenting a "plan from India" for the rehabilitation of the deposed Awami League in the wake of the popular uprising in Bangladesh. This post sparked a fierce political discussion in the country.

According to Netra News, Hasnat also claimed that former Awami League ministers such as Saber Hossain Chowdhury, former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, and former Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh were involved in a new conspiracy to bring back the Awami League under a 'refined' version.

Specifically, he stated, "In a meeting at the Cantonment on March 11 at 2:30 PM, they proposed a new version of the Awami League and suggested a seat-sharing agreement for the national parliament."

After his post, the NCP held a press conference that evening. A reporter from Netra News asked Hasnat whether the meeting he referred to was with the Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman. Hasnat declined to answer directly, saying, "I mentioned the 'Cantonment', you can ask them about it."

Another reporter asked who had initiated the meeting, to which Hasnat responded that they had been invited to discuss matters regarding the army's magistracy powers and the current law and order situation.

Following the press conference, a Netra News reporter again questioned him about the issue, but Hasnat refused to give a binary yes-or-no answer.

The army has not confirmed what was specifically discussed during the meeting between the student leaders and the Army Chief. However, a senior official from a special unit of the army separately informed Netra News that the meeting was indeed initiated by Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam.

Although the army did not deny discussing the Awami League, they stated that it was not about pressuring or proposing its rehabilitation. The army clarified, quoting General Waker-uz-Zaman, that "If Awami League leaders who are not involved in criminal cases and have a clean image form a new Awami League, it would make the upcoming national elections more competitive, fruitful, and internationally acceptable." He also suggested that the government and all political parties should discuss and decide on this matter together.

The army categorically denied any pressure on the student leaders regarding the rehabilitation of the Awami League. They stated, "The idea of inviting the two student coordinators to discuss the rehabilitation of the Awami League is utterly ridiculous and immature."

The statement further mentioned that General Waker-uz-Zaman treated the two student leaders "with great affection" and engaged in various discussions with them in a friendly manner, wishing them well in their new political journey. The statement also said that the Army Chief had explained the importance of the political party’s preparation and participation in the next elections.

The army concluded by stating that the post by Hasnat Abdullah, published 10 days after his meeting with the Army Chief, was nothing more than a "political stunt."