Seven months before he was to go into mandatory “leave preparatory to retirement”, Bangladesh’s Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division, Lieutenant General S M Kamrul Hassan was today packed off an “Ambassador in waiting” with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This significant change in the Bangladesh Army, in which seven other transfers and promotions were effected by the Tarique Rahman-led BNP alliance government that rode to power with a two-thirds majority in the February 12 election, essentially isolates newly appointed Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman widely known to be close to the US State Department and security establishment.
Even as the National Security Adviser, Khalilur Rahman, who was lodged in Bangladesh in November 2024 on US prompting – he was appointed NSA in April 2025 – was considered very close to Lt Gen Kamrul Hassan and sought to push the “humanitarian corridor” to Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The PSO at the AFD functions under the Prime Minister’s Office. Lt Gen Kamrul Hassan’s exit will constrain Khalilur Rahman.
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ATRDOC GOC Lt Gen Mainur Rahman, a loyalist of Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman was moved to take charge as Chief of General Staff, a crucial position which fell vacant following the retirement on January 31 of Lt Gen Mizanur Rahman Shamim.
Directorate General of Forces Intelligence Director General Maj Gen Jahangir Alam was shifted to the Foreign Ministry and may take up an ambassadorial assignment abroad. The 24th Infantry Division GOC Maj Gen Mir Mushfiqur Rahman was promoted to Lt Gen and appointed as the next PSO, AFD.
Brig Kaisar Rashid, an Artillery officer, was promoted as Maj Gen and moved out of the Army’s M&Q Directorate and is tipped to take over as the next DGFI chief. The 24th Infantry Division will now be headed by Maj Gen Ferdous Hasan Salim who was the East Bengal Regimental Centre Commandant.
Maj Gen Emdadul Islam was moved as the next EBRC Commandant after he was moved out as GOC 55th Infantry Division. Brig Mohammad Hafizur Rahman was promoted as Maj Gen and will now be the new 55th Infantry Division GOC. He was previously the Defence Attache at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
