Differences have cropped up between the Bangladesh Army top brass and Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus over filling up the vacant post of Chief of General Staff, Northeast News has learnt reliably.
The CGS post fell vacant after Lieutenant General Mizanur Rahman Shamim went into the mandatory leave preparatory to retirement period before his superannuation on January 17 this year.
Since then, Yunus and Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman have not seen eye to eye on the next CGS, which is a crucial post considering that the officer not only exercises control over the Army’s budget but also oversees other critical operational functions.
While Gen Zaman preferred to move ARTDOC General Officer Commanding Lt Gen Mainur Rahman, Yunus and National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman are backing 24th Infantry Division GOC Major General Mir Mushfiqur Rahman.
For appointment as CGS, Maj Gen Rahman will have to be promoted as Lt Gen. The Army decision-makers may not be averse to this promotion, but Gen Zaman would prefer moving Lt Gen Mainur Rahman as the CGS.
There were some moves to place Maj Gen Zubair Salahin, who till recently was posted as Bangladesh’s ambassador to Lebanon. But this fell through as Maj Gen Salahin preferred to opt for LPR. He was given a farewell by Army headquarters on January 28, three days before he formally went into LPR on January 31.
Informed Bangladesh defence sources said that while Gen Zaman was chary to act on Yunus’ recommendation — the Defence Ministry functions under the Chief Adviser’s Office — Maj Gen Mir Mushfiqur Rahman’s political leanings and affiliations may have come in the way of his appointment as the next CGS. He is said to be close to the BNP leadership.
Earlier, before Lt Gen Shamim went into LPR, NSA Khalilur Rahman had tried to corner Gen Zaman by moving the Principal Staff Officer in the Armed Forces Division, Lt Gen S M Kamrul Hassan, as the CGS. Lt Gen Hassan is scheduled to go into LPR in September this year.
On the other hand, the NSA also tried to move Quarter Master General Lt Gen Faizur Rahman as the PSO AFD, in place of Lt Gen Hassan.
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But the Army chief shot down these proposals which were sought to be effected by Khalilur Rahman to “constrain” him, especially when his service tenure is till June 2027, and does not want the pro-Pakistan segment within the Army to exercise greater influence.
