With the national parliamentary elections approaching, the Bangladesh Army has not yet received any official directives from the government regarding election-related responsibilities. However, Director of Military Operations (Staff Colonel) Md Shafiqul Islam stated that the army stands prepared to fulfill any election duties assigned by the government.
At a press briefing held at Dhaka Cantonment on Thursday, Colonel Shafiqul responded to journalists’ queries, saying, “We have not received any specific orders from the government concerning election duties yet. But once instructions are issued, we will carry them out accordingly.”
Addressing mob violence and public unrest, he noted, “The army has taken strict measures against any disorder. Our timely intervention in recent incidents in Rangpur helped control the situation. Mob violence has significantly decreased.”
Colonel Shafiqul expressed satisfaction with the army’s operations during Eid-ul-Adha, highlighting round-the-clock patrols at bus, train, and launch terminals as well as other sensitive areas. “Our female officers also performed their duties courageously. During Eid, we recovered and returned Tk35,26,233 left behind by passengers in 1,255 vehicles,” he added.
He further reported a 30-40% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries compared to previous Eid celebrations.
Regarding the recent assault on a national flag seller, Colonel Shafiqul termed the incident “unfortunate and isolated,” adding that the victim was offered Tk 1 lakh in compensation after being formally apologised to.
On border security, he stated that, while BGB and Coast Guard remain active along India and Myanmar frontiers with enhanced patrols and surveillance, “army deployment has not been deemed necessary at this stage.”
When asked about operations against top criminals, he emphasised the army’s covert approach: “We conduct these operations with utmost secrecy, and such drives will continue.”
The briefing disclosed that over the past three weeks, 56 illegal firearms and 990 rounds of ammunition were seized. Since August last year, the army has recovered 9,667 illegal weapons, 286,754 rounds of ammunition, and arrested 15,262 individuals, including juvenile gang members, listed criminals, and robbers.
Anti-narcotics operations remain ongoing, with 452 drug dealers arrested in the last three weeks and 5,476 since August.