Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar Uz Zaman visited Russia on April 7 where he reportedly met Russian Deputy Defense Minister General Fomin and Army Chief General Oleg Salyukov.
Dhaka: After former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh has been at the centre of power struggle between the interim government of Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus and the Bangladesh Army under Army Chief General Waqar Uz Zaman. Many media reports have talked about more possible coups in Bangladesh but as of now, the interim government of Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus remain in power. However, a recent turn of event when Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar Uz Zaman visited Russia has caught eyeballs across the world.
Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar Uz Zaman visited Russia on April 7 where he reportedly met Russian Deputy Defense Minister General Fomin, Army Chief General Oleg Salyukov, as well as representatives of defense firms Rostec, Rosoboronexport and Rosatom. Media reports noted that the discussions could have been around possibilities of cooperation in the defense sector.
However, experts have been quoted as saying by many reports that the visit of the Bangladesh Army Chief might have been placed to indicate that the Bangladesh Army is ready to lead Bangladesh, replacing the interim government of Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus.
Another coup in Bangladesh?
Readers must note that there is an inherent difference in the nature of the interim government of Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus and the Bangladesh Army, where the army is believed to be anti-fundamentalist, unlike the present Bangladesh government. Therefore, speculations are rife that Bangladesh Army led by Army Chief General Waqar Uz Zaman may be planning a coup against the Yunus led government in Bangladesh with Russian support.
Awami League will not be able to participate General Elections
In another significant update on the Bangladesh upheaval, Bangladesh’s Election Commissioner Abdur Rahman Masud recently announced that the former PM Sheikh Hasina’s part, Awami League will not be able to participate the General Elections. For those unversed, the Muhammad Yunus-led administration had issued an official notification on May 12, banning the Awami League party and its affiliated bodies from conducting activities online and elsewhere, a report carried by news agency IANS said.