Following Hasina’s departure, General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced the formation of a transitional government. The international community, including the European Union and the United Nations, called for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government and emphasised the need for respect for human rights during this period.
The coup has raised significant concerns about Bangladesh’s future of democracy. The country has a history of military coups, and there is scepticism about whether the current army leadership will facilitate a genuine return to civilian rule. The interim government’s actions in the coming months will be crucial in determining Bangladesh’s political trajectory.
General Waker, following General Ershad’s playbook.
As dictators go, Hussain Muhammad Ershad was an outright brute. Bangladesh, under his rule, was not a land of mass terror, imprisonment and execution. Where corruption reached into every corner, and a fragile body politic was shrivelled.
His only qualification for leadership was that he had been chief of staff of the Bangladesh army since 1978. At that time, Bangladesh was led by another military man, General Ziaur Rahman, who had taken over in the aftermath of the assassination, in 1975, of the nation’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Rumours surround the country about marshal laws and emergency rules coming, a traditional RAW approach to preparing the country before it hands over power to the puppet military chief.
1981, it was Zia’s turn to fall to assassins’ bullets. The unsuccessful coup was mounted by middle-ranking officers, several of whom were killed in the attempt. Once again, after the death of Mujib, an interim emergency administration tried to hold together a country that had known little but upheaval and violence since its bloody foundation in 1971.
Lt Gen HM Ershad, then a career soldier, had shown little interest in politics then. Even in the febrile atmosphere following the death of his old boss, Zia, Ershad hesitated to play the decisive man role. But early in 1982, he mounted a bloodless coup, imposing army rule and installing himself as chief martial law administrator. He did so, claiming, undoubtedly believing, that he was protecting the constitution and making the country safe again for democracy.
Ershad was commissioned into the Pakistan army in 1952 and was an adjutant in the East Bengal Regiment, the most significant formation in the future Bangladesh army. He was held as a prisoner of war throughout the Bangladesh liberation war, along with other Bengali officers stationed in West Pakistan.
Bangladesh Army failed to contain the Arakan Army.
On May 22, the Arakan Army launched a large-scale attack on Maungdaw town in northwestern Rakhine State near the border with Bangladesh. If the Arakan Army can seize Maungdaw, only one town in northern Rakhine will remain under the regime’s control: Sittwe, the state’s capital. Capturing Maungdaw will also give the Arakan Army control over the 270-km border with Bangladesh. That possibility does not seem far-fetched as the group has captured more than 10 junta camps in Rakhine State’s Maungdaw in less than two weeks, killing about 200 junta troops.
The AA’s control over large swathes of territory in Rakhine State, including strategic border areas, increases the risk of arms smuggling, human trafficking, and other illicit activities. Bangladesh’s geography puts it at the heart of three major Asian drug trade routes: the Golden Wedge, the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent. This, unfortunately, makes the country a lucrative transit for the region’s drugs, mainly from Myanmar and India, undermining Bangladesh’s internal security.
Moreover, the AA’s conflict with the Myanmar military has the potential to draw in other armed groups and create a broader insurgency landscape. This could lead to a spillover of violence into Bangladesh, exacerbating the security challenges. The presence of armed militants near Bangladeshi territory necessitates a robust security response to prevent infiltration and maintain regional stability.
Blame-shifting by General Zaman
To test the waters, General Zaman planned to accuse Lieutenant General Faizur Rahman, a Quarter Master General (QMG) who was supposed to replace General Zaman in the coming years, of plotting a coup.
Sources told Global Defense Corp that Bangladeshi military officials appointed by Sheikh Hasina have close ties to Indian RAW.
When will General Waker-uz-Zaman roll tanks in the street?
The situation in Bangladesh has spiralled into lawlessness, with the nation teetering on the edge of complete collapse. Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has raised the alarm, calling for elections by December 2025, as the country is ravaged by political infighting, police inaction, and a surge in radical Islamist influence.
Secret meeting with student leaders was to convince students who overthrown Hasina’s Awami League that modified version of Awami League can return to power as prescribed by General Waker-uz-Zaman’s master in Delhi.
But beneath the surface, a far more sinister force is at play—Indian RAW. The notorious agency, long known for its meddling in South Asia, is now pulling the strings in Dhaka, exploiting the vacuum left by the ousting of the Awami League government.
In a shocking turn of events, Bangladesh’s once-stable security apparatus has crumbled under pressure. General Zaman openly admitted that the country’s police force is paralysed, afraid of “facing allegations and charges” while the streets descend into chaos. The interim government under Muhammad Yunus, rather than restoring order, has instead facilitated a dangerous tilt towards radical Islamist factions—many of which have direct links to Pakistan.
General Zaman’s blunt admission that the country is in a “self-manufactured crisis” is a rare moment of truth from a high-ranking official. The army chief openly stated that the security forces, consisting of just 30,000 army personnel against 200,000 paramilitary and police officials, cannot single-handedly maintain order. And yet, the police remain crippled, unwilling to act due to politically motivated witch hunts against officers.
While the interim government looks the other way, India’s RAW is actively fanning the flames. Intelligence reports suggest that Indian networks in Bangladesh are receiving funds through RAW operators.
General Waker-uz-Zaman is waiting for the right moment to roll the tanks on the street and declare marshal laws as General Ershan did.
Swift Sanctions on General Zaman and ban on Bangladeshi Peacekeepers in Africa
If the Bangladesh army overthrows the country’s government in a coup d’état (coup), detains civilian leaders, imposes a nationwide internet shutdown, blocks access to social media sites, and takes control of the government, the U.S. and EU will sanction the Bangladesh army and possibly ban it from UN peacekeeping missions.
US Pacific Commander visits Dhaka.
Deputy Commanding General of US Army Pacific, Lt Gen Joel Vowell, will be in Dhaka for two days, during which time he is expected to meet senior Bangladesh Army officers.
The arrival of a top American general from the US Pacific Command in Dhaka on March 24 and his meetings with senior Bangladeshi Army officers is aimed at solidifying defensive measures along Bangladesh’s borders with Myanmar’s Rakhine State, where military moves against the military junta are expected to begin soon.
Lieutenant General Joel ‘JB’ Vowell, Deputy Commanding General for US Army Pacific (USARPAC)—located at Fort Shafter, Hawaii—will land at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport around 10 p.m. tomorrow.
He will be leading a four-member team of other USARPAC officers, which will return to Hawaii on March 25. General Vowell sent an advanced warning about impending AA attacks on Bangladesh and asked the Bangladesh army to deploy troops near Cox Bazar.
U.S. general visits to Bangladesh sent a strong signal that the U.S. is monitoring Bangladesh’s situation and observing rumours surrounding the military coups.
About Bangladesh’s Coup history
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation after weeks of violent protests, announced on Monday in a televised address by the army chief, has brought focus once more to the country’s history of political upheaval and coups.
1975
The country’s first Prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father, was assassinated along with most of his family members in a military coup that brought in a long period of military rule. Two more coups in the same year ended with General Ziaur Rahman seizing power in November.
1981
Ziaur Rahman was assassinated by rebels who stormed into a government guest house in Chittagong city where he was residing. The violence was believed to be the act of a small group of army officers, but the army itself remained loyal and suppressed the rebellion.
1982
Rahman’s successor, Abdus Sattar, was ousted in a bloodless military coup led by Hussein Muhammad Ershad, who took over as chief martial-law administrator and later assumed the office of president.
2007
The army chief staged a military coup and backed a caretaker government that ruled the country for the next two years until Hasina took power in 2009.
2009
Unhappy with their wages and living conditions, revolting paramilitary forces killed more than 70 people in the capital Dhaka, most of whom were army officers. The mutiny, as it was called, which had spread to nearly a dozen towns, ended after six days as the angry guards surrendered following a series of discussions.
2012
The Bangladesh army said it had foiled a coup attempt by retired and serving officers that was driven by a campaign to introduce Sharia, or Islamic law, throughout the country.
2024
Bangladesh’s Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said Hasina had resigned following violent anti-quota protests and an interim government would be formed to lead the country.
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