Bangladesh: Feud between army chief Gen Waker-uz-Zaman and Muhammad Yunus worsens political instability

The growing rift between Bangladesh's interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus and the army chief, General Waker-uz-Zaman, is deepening the existing turmoil in the country.

 

Earlier this week, Yunus, along with the navy and air force chiefs, met Yunus and reportedly pressed their demand for polls by December this year to allow an elected government take charge. They also expressed their reservation about over the creation of the Rakhine corridor to Myanmar. Zaman, in particular, opposed “any notion of a corridor”, insisting that such a decision should be made by an elected government. Though Bangladesh National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman later clarified that the interim government had only discussed with the UN on facilitating a channel to provide aid to Rakhine to deal with the humanitarian crisis there, the differences between Zaman and the Yunus administration was out in the open.

 

Interestingly, reports suggest that Khalilur Rahman is planning to replace Zaman with Lieutenant General Faizur Rahman, who is the Quarter-Master General of the army, as the army chief, and the duo had met recently.

 

Soon after, Zaman had a closed-door meeting with senior officers at Dhaka Cantonment to review the situation, which has led to speculations that the army might be planning a coup, and appoint a “national unity government” under its watch.

 

Yunus, meanwhile, is reportedly mulling resignation, saying that he is finding it difficult to work in view of political parties failing to reach a common ground.

 

Who is General Waker-uz-Zaman?

 

Zaman, it is believed, is pushing for early elections fearing external influence in Bangladesh politics. Yunus’s interim government, on May 12, officially disbanded Sheikh Hasina's Awami League (which was founded by her father and 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) under an overnight revised anti-terrorism law.

 

Zaman is a distant relative of Hasina – his wife is her cousin. The 59-year-old is married to Sarahnaz Kamalika Zaman, the daughter of General Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman, who was army chief from 1997 to 2000. Zaman is believed to have facilitated Hasina’s exit to India after the ouster of her regime on August 5, 2024. He worked closely with Hasina, serving as the principal staff officer at the Armed Forces Division under the Prime Minister's Office.

 

Born in Dhaka, Zaman holds a Masters degree in Defence Studies from the National University of Bangladesh and a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from King's College, London.

 

He has served as an instructor at the School of Infantry and Tactics, Non-commissioned Officers’ Academy and the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training, and also has experience as military secretary in the army headquarters.

 

Before becoming the army chief on June 23 last year, he served as the Chief of General Staff, overseeing military operations and intelligence, budget and Bangladesh's role in UN peacekeeping operations.

 

His contributions to modernising the army earned him the Army Medal of Glory (SGP) and the Extraordinary Service Medal (OSP).

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