Google Alert – Bangladesh Army
BNP Standing Committee Member Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed sharply criticised the interim government’s advisers, accusing them of failing to oppose former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 17-year “misrule and oppression.”
Even, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus never spoke against Hasina, said Hafiz while speaking at an event organised by the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka on Saturday, August 2.
“Only Law Adviser Asif Nazrul occasionally spoke out,” Hafiz noted expressing frustration over the silence of key figures now in leadership roles. “Those who remained silent during Hasina’s regime are now posing as national guides.”
He lamented that post-uprising governments have failed to honour the martyrs’ ideals, stating, “This country struggles to respect its heroes. Ordinary people sacrifice in revolutions, but cunning politicians claim the credit and mislead the nation.”
Hafiz credited the BNP with laying the foundation for the recent mass movement, criticizing those who “stayed silent against Hasina” but now claim leadership roles. He strongly opposed attempts to amend the constitution without public or parliamentary consent, declaring, “No precedent exists for unelected individuals to alter a constitution forged in 1972 through blood and sacrifice.”
He stressed that democracy demands elections under a neutral caretaker government, adding, “People died for democracy, not for debates over election methods.”
Hafiz also accused the Awami League of inflating the number of freedom fighters for political gain, noting, “In 1971, there were 80,000 freedom fighters; now, the Awami League claims 250,000 by adding their own families.”
Condemning the military’s role in sheltering senior judges and police officers implicated in the July-August unrest, Hafiz said, “The army should not have protected those who fired on the people.”
BNP Standing Committee member AZM Zahid Hossain emphasized the need for unity among anti-fascist forces, warning of internal and external efforts to sow division. “The ousted autocrat still controls looted wealth and armed loyalists. Unity is critical to move forward,” he urged.