In a major departure from established procedures, Bangladesh’s authorities on December 23 instituted special security for persons designated as ‘very important persons’ (VIPs), official documents indicate.
While this move may not directly relate to the BNP acting Chairperson Tarique Rahman, who is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on December 25, the Mohammad Yunus-led interim regime could extend Special Security Force (SSF) cover to individuals in or outside government as the February 12, 2026, elections near.
Bangladesh Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus’ office issued a gazette notification on December 23 that categorised ‘very important persons’ (VIPs) as recipients of state-sanctioned SSF cover that is due only for the prime minister and his or her closest relatives.
The same day, the Bangladesh Army top brass took a serious view on the move to appoint National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman as the new Home Ministry Adviser in place of Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
Senior Army officers, including Chief of Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman, objected to Khalilur Rahman’s elevation as Home Adviser. This objection stemmed from the Army’s previous unrelenting stand on Khalilur Rahman’s citizenship status, which came into question when he was appointed NSA coterminously with his post as High Representative for the Rohingya Issue.
Following his controversial move on a “humanitarian corridor” between Bangladesh and the Rakhine State in Myanmar, Khalilur Rahman stood in direct confrontation with the Army chief who angrily dismissed the proposal as “no bloody corridor”. Since this clash, the Army top brass acted decisively to bar Khalilur Rahman’s entry into Dhaka Cantonment and refused to sit in on meetings with the NSA.
The Bangladesh government’s seven-page official gazette, accessed by Northeast News, says that the SSF, established under a 2021 law, is provided to the President, Prime Minister and Chief Adviser. An amendment to this law by the Mohammad Yunus-led interim regime will now be extended to cover VIPs.
The SSF will not only provide proximate physical security to VIPs but will also be responsible for their protection at their homes, offices and social functions, including during election campaigns. The extent of the security coverage will be based on the SSF director general’s threat perception assessment by Bangladesh’s intelligence agencies.
On its part, the SSF will also independently prepare threat perception reports based on its own “preventive intelligence” gathering machinery. SSF officers who will provide physical security to VIPs will, from time to time, undergo “security vetting”.
