Chief of Bangladesh Army Staff General Aziz Ahmed has responded to allegations levelled against him in the recently broadcast Al Jazeera documentary which went viral on social media, stating that the allegations against him are false, concocted and part of a conspiracy by vested groups, reports Bangla Tribune.
He was speaking to journalists after an Army Aviation Group program on Tuesday.
“The Bangladesh Army is the pride of the people, the pride of the nation. It is an extremely well-trained and well-motivated force,” he said, adding that the chain of command in the army remains firm and effective, and each and every member of the force unequivocally condemns these attempts to defame them and mislead people.
“I want to assure you that such propaganda will not affect the army. The army is respectful of Bangladesh and loyal to the government in Bangladesh, and will remain so. The army is always ready to carry out all kinds of orders and directives of the government of Bangladesh and we are constitutionally united to deal with any problem whether it is internal or external,” he continued.
Responding to questions about his brother, the army chief said that he had only met him after he had been acquitted, thus his brother was not a fugitive at the time of their meeting.
“When I met my brother in Malaysia, there was no case against him. That case was due to a conspiracy, from which he was then acquitted. He was released in March, and I went to Malaysia in April. As a result, the propaganda that Al-Jazeera is running is completely malicious. The day I met him, there was no case against him, nor any sentence,” he said.
He furthered that an attack on the chief of army, who is appointed by the prime minister, is an attack on the prime minister herself, and vested groups are involved in the conspiracy to target the nation.
Expressing gratitude towards the media, he said: “You have responded to these allegations with your pen. For that I am grateful. The army may not be able to do anything against them, but the relevant ministry may take action against them.”
The Al Jazeera documentary, "All the Prime Minister's Men," broadcast on Feb 1 levelled various allegations against Army chief General Aziz Ahmed, which went viral on social media, drawing heavy criticism from leaders.
