The Bangladesh Army top brass held clandestine meetings with some senior BNP leaders over three days, apprising them of the implications over the proposed “humanitarian corridor” for the Rakhine State in Myanmar, well-placed government sources revealed to Northeast News on Saturday.
A direct consequence of these secret parlays has been the BNP’s strident opposition to the “humanitarian corridor” with senior leaders such as Mirza Abbas questioning “whose interest” it would “serve”.
Abbas, a BNP Standing Committee member, said five days ago that “there is no such term as humanitarian corridor in any dictionary. It should be the people of Bangladesh and their elected representatives who decide whether such a corridor is acceptable.”
Earlier, BNP’s acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had opposed the “humanitarian corridor”, saying it was Foreign Ministry Adviser Touhid Hossain had revealed that Bangladesh had agreed in principle to the United Nations’ proposal (on a humanitarian corridor) for sending aid supplies to the Rakhine State.
Fakhrul went on to the say that “This is a matter of a significant decision, and before making such a decision, discussions with all political parties should have been held. Such passages have been used to send aid to war-torn Gaza via Jordan. We do not want our country to become another Gaza”.
Four key meetings today, involving three senior Bangladeshi generals, cast a new light on the continuing schism between Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman and Principal Staff Officer in the Armed Forces Division, Lieutenant General Kamrul Hassan.
These meetings followed a long discussion between the chiefs of Bangladesh’s armed forces with National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman late last night over the unresolved and controversial issue of “humanitarian corridor” for Myanmar’s Rakhine region.
Gen Zaman was on an overdrive today as he met Major General Adil Chowdhury, the Military Secretary to President Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, at his official residence between 11:30 am and 12:40 pm BST.
Less than an hour later, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) Director General Maj Gen Jahangir Alam walked into meet Gen Zaman.
Earlier in the day, around 11 am, Quarter Master General Lt Gen Faizur Rahman met Environment, Forests and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rezwana Hasan at her Bangladesh secretariat office.
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Around 3 pm BST, Lt Gen Faizur Rahman, went into a meeting with NSA Khalilur Rahman who concurrently holds the post of High Representative on Rohingya Crisis and Priority Issues.
To make matters even more suspenseful, the Bangladesh Inter-Services Public Relations issued a statement today, based on a decision by the Army, to ban all public gatherings, processions and demonstrations on Kachukhet Road and Bijoy Sarani till Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus’ official Jamuna residence and areas adjoining Jahangir Gate, BAF Shaheen College, Mahakhali flyover, Army Club crossing, Matikata and ECB Circle. The ban will become operational from May 18.
