The Bangladesh Army has refuted allegations made by Hasnat Abdullah, the Chief Organiser (South) of the National Citizen Party (NCP), who claimed that senior military officials pressured him and two others to accept a so-called “refined” faction of the Awami League (AL), according to a report by Netra News.
In a statement shared with Netra News, the Army Headquarters confirmed that the Chief of Army Staff, General Waker-uz-Zaman, met with Hasnat and Sarjis Alam, the Chief Organiser (North) of the NCP, on 11 March at Dhaka Cantonment. However, the army dismissed Hasnat’s claims as “hilarious and an immature array of stories,” describing his social media post as “nothing but a complete political stunt.”
The Netra News article, published today (23 March), followed a viral Facebook post by Hasnat two days earlier. In the post, Hasnat alleged that during the 11 March meeting at the cantonment, they were offered a seat-sharing arrangement in exchange for supporting a proposal to revive what he described as a “Refined Awami League,” which he claimed was “entirely India’s plan.” His post quickly gained traction, sparking protests.
Subsequently, Hasnat shared a brief video interview with Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan. In the video, Asif claimed that the army chief was reluctant to appoint Muhammad Yunus as the interim government’s chief adviser after the fall of the Awami League in the mass uprising of August last year. Asif later released the full 17-minute interview on his Facebook page.
Quoting the army’s statement, the Netra News report emphasised that the meeting between the army chief and the NCP leaders was not “a matter of summoning them and proposing or pressuring them about the rehabilitation of the Awami League.” Instead, the army asserted that the meeting was held at the request of Hasnat and Sarjis, who had been seeking a “courtesy meeting” with General Waker for some time.
The army clarified that Sarjis Alam had contacted the military adviser to the army chief to arrange the meeting and was subsequently invited to Army Headquarters. However, the two NCP leaders proceeded to Sena Bhaban, the official residence of the army chief, where they waited until General Waker was able to meet them after completing his official duties. The Netra News report noted that it was unable to independently verify the details of the conversation but cited a senior army officer who confirmed that the meeting was initiated by Hasnat and Sarjis.
It remains unclear whether Hasnat and Sarjis had the approval of the NCP leadership to request the meeting or if they acted independently.
Meanwhile, NCP Member Secretary Nasiruddin Patwari publicly criticised Hasnat’s Facebook post on 22 March, describing it as “lacking courtesy.” However, Hasnat, Sarjis, and Nasiruddin have all maintained that they bear no ill will towards the army or its leadership.
In his Facebook post, Hasnat wrote, “Let us unite against the Awami League… If the Awami League returns to politics, July [2024 uprising] will be a failure. As long as there is a single drop of blood in our veins, we will not let the blood of our martyrs go to waste.”
He further asserted, “After 5 August, there will be no opportunity for the Awami League to come back to Bangladesh… The Awami League must be banned, once and for all.”
Referring to the 11 March meeting, Hasnat alleged, “A few days ago, I mentioned that there was a plan to introduce a new conspiracy called the ‘Refined Awami League.’ This plan is entirely India’s. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Shirin Sharmin, and Tapash are being put forward in this plan.”
He claimed, “On 11 March, at 2:30 pm, this plan was presented to me and two others at the cantonment. We were offered a proposal that in exchange for seat sharing, we should accept this offer. We were told that multiple political parties had already been offered this proposal — and, under certain conditions, they had agreed to the rehabilitation of the Awami League.
“It was suggested that having multiple opposition parties alongside a weak Awami League would be better than just one opposition party. As a result, over the past two days, you will notice that many politicians in the media have begun giving statements in favour of the Awami League,” Hasnat alleged.
According to Netra News, the Army Headquarters acknowledged that the topic of AL’s rehabilitation was discussed during the meeting but insisted that General Waker only expressed his personal opinion.
The army’s statement quoted General Waker as saying that if Awami League leaders without criminal records or controversial reputations were to form a new version of the party and contest the upcoming election, it could lead to a more credible, competitive, and fruitful outcome while enhancing international acceptance.
The statement also indicated that General Waker believed AL leaders without criminal charges should be included in the political process and that he viewed young activists “like his sons.”
“In reality, this is by no means a matter of summoning them and proposing or pressuring them about the rehabilitation of the Awami League,” the army stated, as reported by Netra News.
