DHAKA: A commission set up to investigate a violent mutiny that saw dozens of senior army officers massacred 16 years ago on Sunday said former premier Sheikh Hasina had ordered the killings.
Rampaging troops from the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) murdered 74 people, including military officers, during the two-day revolt that began in Dhaka and spread across the country in 2009, destabilising the government of then-premier Hasina weeks after she took office.
After Hasina was ousted last year following a student-led uprising, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus formed a commission to investigate the incident.
Hasina, 78, has since sought refuge in India, defying court orders that she return to Bangladesh.
According to the commission’s report submitted on Sunday, the then-Awami League government led by Hasina was directly involved in the mutiny.
Former member of parliament Fazle Noor Taposh acted as the “principal coordinator” and at the behest of Hasina who gave the “green signal” to carry out the killings, the government’s press office said, quoting the commission chief, A.L.M. Fazlur Rahman.
“The involvement of a foreign force was strongly evident in the investigation,” the statement added.
At a news conference later in the day, Rahman accused India of trying to destabilize the country and “weaken the Bangladesh Army” following the carnage.
“There had been a conspiracy brewing for a long time to weaken Bangladesh’s forces,” Rahman said.
There was no immediate response from India over the accusation.
India’s support for Hasina has frayed relations between the two neighbors since her overthrow.
Yunus welcomed the commission’s report, saying the nation had long remained in the dark about the reasons behind the 2009 killings.
“Through the commission report, the truth has finally been revealed,” he said.
A previous investigation into the mutiny blamed years of pent-up anger among soldiers, who felt their appeals for pay rises and better treatment were ignored.
But that probe was carried out during Hasina’s tenure, and her opponents claimed her involvement in a conspiracy to orchestrate the mutiny in order to weaken the military and bolster her own power.
Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina ordered 2009 killings: commission
https://arab.news/g7bvh
Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina ordered 2009 killings: commission
- Rampaging troops from the Bangladesh Rifles murdered 74 people during the two-day revolt that began in Dhaka and spread across the country in 2009
Romanian president to attend Washington ‘Board of Peace’ meeting as observer
- The board is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington
- Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join
BUCHAREST: Romanian President Nicusor Dan announced on Sunday that he would attend as observer the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.”
“Next week I will take part in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, responding to the invitation addressed by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump,” Dan wrote on X, after having recently said that his country was still considering whether to join the body, of which Trump is the chairman.
The board, originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after two years of the Israel-Hamas war, is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington.
Its permanent members must pay $1 billion to join, which lead to criticisms that the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council.
“Romania will have observer status and I will reaffirm our strong support for international peace efforts and our willingness to participate in the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip,” Dan added on X on Sunday.
Earlier this week, the Romanian president told reporters that Romania is interested in taking part in the Washington talks as the country “has traditional relations with both Israel and the Arab countries in the region,” adding that “the situation in Gaza is important for Europe.”
Since Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.
Some countries, including Croatia, France, Italy, New Zealand and Norway, have declined to join, while others like Romania have said they could only consider doing so if its charter were changed.
