¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

Bangladesh army’s operations director Brigadier General M Nazim-ud-Daula on Monday said that the military was working together with the government abiding the by government directives.

‘We [the government and army] are working to help each other. There is no scope to misinterpret it,’ he told a press conference responding to a question over military relations with the government at the army headquarters in Dhaka.

The directorate of military operations chief said that the government and the army had been working supplementing each other’s duties and the army remained steadfast in its stance on safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and national interests.

‘Army has always been working with the government and at the instruction of the government,’ he said, ruling out speculations of  gaps between the armed forces and the interim government.

‘The way it is being said that there is a huge gap of opinion between the government and the army, like there is a division… the way the issue is being reported by some media outlets, nothing like that has actually happened,’ the brigadier said. ‘We are working nicely through mutual understanding [and] there is no room for misinterpretation [of the relations].’

‘Let us not think that the government and the army are thinking differently and standing against each other. This is never the case . . . I firmly believe we will continue working together in the future,’ he said.

Brigadier General Nazim said that the military remained serious in safeguarding the national security and related issues and also commented on the corridor controversy. ‘The issue involving the corridor is highly sensitive. For the army, national interest comes first.’

He said that there would be ‘no compromise when it comes to the country’s independence, security and sovereignty’.

Ahead of the military operations director’s comments, colonel staff of the same directorate Colonel M Shafiqul Islam spoke outlining the army’s activities over the past 40 days saying they seized 241 illegally possessed arms and 709 ammunitions and apprehended 1969 crime suspects.

He said that they so far seized 9611 illegal arms, 2,85,761 ammunitions and arrested 14,266 crime suspects since the nationwide anti-crime crackdown started in August last. 

The colonel reiterated that the army stance that the troops would take stringent action against mob violence and those who disrupt social security.

Colonel Shafiqul also observed that the overall law and order situation either remained stable or improved in some areas compared to the past.

‘Those involved in hampering the law and order will be dealt with iron hands. Bangladesh Army has been relentlessly working to defend the country’s independence and sovereignty,’ he said.

He also said that the army personnel had been engaged in upholding the communal harmony and maintaining overall security at the diplomatic enclaves.

The colonel said that their troops were working to ensure security at the country’s industrial zones since August and ahead of the next Eid-ul-Azha they would enforce a vigil against extortion in cattle markets alongside their ongoing policing activities.

He said that the troops would work for traffic management as well to ease homebound passengers’ safe journey.

Mentioning about the 30,000 uniforms reportedly being made for the Kuki-Chin National Front in Chattogram, Brigadier General Nazim said that the KNF represented the Kuki community, which had a population of around 12,000, United News of Bangladesh reported. 

‘So, why were 30,000 uniforms being produced? What’s the truth behind this and who’s involved? The army is taking this matter very seriously and is thoroughly investigating,’ he said.

Referring to the ‘push-ins’ of citizens across the bordering area of the country from India, the brigadier said that such actions were neither acceptable nor desirable.

‘Currently, Border Guard Bangladesh is tackling the matter effectively. However, if necessary or if directed by the government, the army will also intervene. Still, this kind of situation is highly undesirable,’ he added.