Staff Correspondent, Dhaka
Bangladesh Army today said the law and order situation will return to normalcy if the planned national election in February is held, paving ways for their return to barracks.
“Like the country’s people, Bangladesh Army is expecting a free, fair, impartial and festive election as per government outline,” Army Training and Doctrine Command’s (ARTDOC) general officer commanding Lieutenant General Md Mainur Rahman told a media briefing at Dhaka Cantonment.
He said the army would extend its full assistance for the polls adding the military was now taking election preparedness in the light of the extent of polls roadmap unveiled so far.
“We believe the election will solidify the country’s stability, normalize the law and order and then the army could go back cantonments,” Rahman said.
The army is now deployed in the field in aid to civil power.
Rahman said a free, fair, and acceptable election is essential for the overall peace, stability, and progress of the country.
“The army is ready to provide maximum cooperation and fulfill its responsibilities in achieving that goal,” he assured.
Rahman also revealed that 90,000 to 100,000 soldiers will be deployed nationwide during the upcoming elections — a figure significantly higher than in any previous election period.
He said some vested groups were spreading false and fabricated propaganda to question the army’s integrity.
“I want to assure the countrymen that every member of the army is loyal and trustworthy to the army chief and the army’s senior leadership. Our army members are more united than ever before, and our sense of brotherhood is stronger,” he said.
“So we say to everyone- let’s leave behind the propaganda on social media and move forward together,” he said, adding that the army has duly fulfilled its responsibilities and will continue to do so in the future.
He continued that the Bangladesh Army remains firm, professional, and committed to national service despite facing challenges during continuous field deployment over the past 15 months.
He expressed hope that an acceptable national election will soon allow the army to return to its regular training and modernization activities.
“In peacetime, the main responsibility of the army is to prepare for war. We always say- ‘We train as we fight,’ meaning we train the way we fight”, he said.
