Concern over army tackling political programmes

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Two former advisers to caretaker government and a security analyst have expressed concern over involving army in tackling political programmes like hartal while a former top bureaucrat said it would have been better if yesterday’s hartal pickets were dispersed without involvement of the armed forces.

Advisers to the 2001 caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan and ASM Shahjahan, and major general (retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim strongly reacted to army’s involvement in dispersing hartal supporters in the capital, saying that there were not enough grounds for it.

Former cabinet secretary Mujibul Haque said it would have been better if the crowd was dispersed without army involvement as the armed forces are the last resort to maintain law and order under the civil administration when law enforcement agencies like police and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) fail.

“I don’t know how was the situation at Shyamoli where, as seen on TV screens, army personnel were chasing hartal supporters to disperse them. I am not sure about the strength of the police and BDR at the spot and whether they were unable to control the crowd,” he said giving his reaction to use of the armed forces to face any political programme.

Talking to The Daily Star over telephone, Mujibul Haque said army involvement at this stage to control political programmes like hartal is not desirable but in the context of the present caretaker government it may be ‘understandable.’

The former top bureaucrat was critical of countrywide army deployment much ahead of the polls day, and said such deployment is desirable only a few days before the polls as was the case in the previous elections.

“But, at the same time it is important that the prevailing situation in the country is different from that during other interim governments’ periods in the past,” he said, adding both the major political alliances are threatening to show their strength on the streets. “Such a situation may force the people in the government to call in army as a precautionary measure.”

Hafizuddin thinks deployment of army during yesterday’s hartal would worsen the existing political crisis and intensify conflicts.

Expressing concern over this, Hafizuddin said, “Did police failed to control the situation? They tackled bigger political programmes like blockade earlier, and BDR joined them at times.”

The prevailing situation does not demand involvement of army, he said. “I think it will contribute to making the armed forces controversial.” Bangladesh’s army has a reputation also in the international arena, and it should not be involved in political conflicts, he said.

“It should also be seen whether it is a move to intimidate the political parties that are agitating.”

Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Bir Pratik, a well known security analyst, told The Daily Star yesterday evening that he was shocked to see on television screen that soldiers were chasing a group of pro-hartal pickets and activists.

“I also observed that some of the soldiers were carrying their rifles off of their shoulders in the same manner as they used to do in insurgency-infested areas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)… I am shocked to see the scenario,” said the former major general.

He said usually pickets exchange brickbats and abuses with the police. It is likely that they will start doing so with the soldiers if soldiers continue to do what they did yesterday.

“If soldiers have to run around on a simple hartal day, then what will happen in more difficult days which are invariably coming?” he questioned. “The jobs of the soldiers and police must not be mixed. If it is mixed, then there will be bad repercussion.

Authorities must think of this,” he observed.

Shahjahan expressed his surprise at army involvement during yesterday’s hartal. “I am surprised to see tasking the army with what is and should be the job of police, BDR and Ansar,” he said when contacted over phone.

He said there were not enough grounds for deployment of army yesterday and that it was not appropriate. “It will be bad for the whole institution.”

He went on, “If the state needs to apply force, the army should be the last resort. Our army has earned reputation internationally and such an institution should not be involved in political confrontations, and it should be kept above any controversy in the greater interest of the nation.”

The former adviser noted that the caretaker government had also attempted to deploy army earlier but had to postpone it due to strong opposition from the advisers.

“The caretaker government should not have any thought of promoting the interest of any political party or acting against legitimate political programmes,” said Shahjahan, a former police chief.

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