I give you my word that all injustices will be addressed. The country has suffered a lot, economy has been hit, many people have been killed – it is time to stop the violence”: With these words, Army chief Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, 58, took over the reins in a scenario all too familiar to Bangladeshis over the decades. Zaman said an interim govt would be formed soon.A press conference promised at 8pm was put off.
Zaman was appointed chief of army staff in June; Hasina had trusted him because he was a relative, albeit a distant one. Before that, he had served as UN peacekeeper and in Hasina’s office. His father-in-law was army chief during the first of Hasina’s five terms, from 1996 to 2001.
The army has been at the centre of political upheavals earlier too. In 1981, Gen Ziaur Rahman, who took the president’s office following coups, was assassinated, allegedly by a faction of army officers. His successor, Abdus Sattar, was ousted in a bloodless coup led by Gen Hussain Ershad.
Zaman was appointed chief of army staff in June; Hasina had trusted him because he was a relative, albeit a distant one. Before that, he had served as UN peacekeeper and in Hasina’s office. His father-in-law was army chief during the first of Hasina’s five terms, from 1996 to 2001.
The army has been at the centre of political upheavals earlier too. In 1981, Gen Ziaur Rahman, who took the president’s office following coups, was assassinated, allegedly by a faction of army officers. His successor, Abdus Sattar, was ousted in a bloodless coup led by Gen Hussain Ershad.
Source : Times of India
