Zakir Hossain From Dhaka
The Bangladesh Army has dismissed allegations that it pressured National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah into supporting the rehabilitation of a “refined” Awami League. The claims surfaced after Hasnat, a key figure in the anti-discrimination student movement that led to the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina, made a viral Facebook post accusing the military of promoting a restructured Awami League under leaders like Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
Sweden-based Netra News confirmed that Hasnat and fellow NCP leader Sarjis Alam met Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman but refuted claims of coercion. The army clarified that the meeting took place at Hasnat and Sarjis’s request, not as a summons, and that the chief merely expressed his opinion that Awami League figures without criminal charges should be included in the political process. “In reality, this is by no means a matter of summoning them and pressuring them about Awami League’s rehabilitation,” the army stated.
Sarjis Alam, NCP’s northern region chief organiser, supported this version, emphasizing, “There is a difference between expressing an opinion and giving a proposal.” While acknowledging that the idea of a “refined Awami League” was discussed, he disagreed with Hasnat’s interpretation, stating that the army chief’s tone was “straightforward but not coercive.”
Hasnat also claimed that the army chief dismissed young activists as lacking wisdom, but Sarjis clarified that this exchange happened as the general was leaving and was meant to highlight experience, not belittle them. While Sarjis reiterated his opposition to Awami League’s return, he distanced himself from calls for the army chief’s resignation and criticised Hasnat’s decision to publicly disclose the meeting. “Such actions might create trust issues in future critical dialogues with any stakeholder,” he warned. Despite these disagreements, Sarjis reaffirmed his support for Hasnat and pledged to continue resisting any Awami League faction linked to past political violence.