DHAKA: In a significant reshuffle, the Bangladesh Army has enacted large-scale appointments and transfers. Major General Zia-ul-Ahsan Maliki has been dismissed from his position as Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC), an intelligence agency under the Ministry of Interior.
The NTMC is responsible for monitoring national situations, collecting data, and recording communications, including emails, social media accounts, and phone calls.
According to a statement issued by the media wing of the Bangladesh Army, in the recent reshuffle, Lt Gen Saif Alam has been assigned to the Foreign Ministry, while Lt Gen Mujibur Rehman has been appointed as the GOC of Army Training and Doctrine Command. Major General Zia-ul-Ahsan’s successor as DG NTMC will be Major General Ridwan-ur-Rehman.
This military shake-up follows a political crisis. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid fled to India via military helicopter following student protests.
In her absence, the Army Chief announced the formation of an interim government. Concurrently, opposition leader Khaleda Zia was released from jail on presidential orders. Despite these changes, the country’s situation remains dire, with normal life severely disrupted.
Meanwhile, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid and her subsequent flight to India, as well as the dissolution of parliament by the president, several cabinet members have also begun fleeing the country.
Indian media reports that Hasan Mehmood, a close aide to Hasina Wajid and former foreign minister, was arrested just hours after the dissolution of parliament. Mehmood was detained at Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka while attempting to flee the country.
Prior to this, former Minister of Information and Broadcasting Junaid Ahmed Palak was also detained at Dhaka Airport. According to Bangladeshi media, Awami League leader Junaid Ahmed Palak had arrived at the airport to escape to New Delhi but was prevented from boarding the plane and subsequently detained.
It was learned that after the resignation and flight to India of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, protesters set fire to the Indian Cultural Center in Dhaka.
Amid the ongoing violent protests in Bangladesh, the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center, operated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in Dhaka, became a target of the protesters’ anger.
Read more: Bangladeshi President Dissolves Parliament Amid Protesters’ Deadline
