Former Army Chief General (retd) Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan has stated in court that he took numerous steps to prevent the culture of enforced disappearances during his tenure, though he could not specify the exact number of individuals who went missing.
Bhuiyan, a prosecution witness in the case against former army officer Ziaul Ahsan, accused of enforced disappearances and killings during the Awami League regime, made these remarks during his fourth day of cross-examination at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Sunday. He was questioned by defence lawyer Aminul Gani Tito, with the next hearing scheduled 3 for March.
“Who were being disappeared, the Military Intelligence (MI) directorate could not give specific information about that. However, they informed me that disappearances were occurring,” Bhuiyan told the court.
When asked whether he attempted to rescue any of the disappeared individuals, the former army chief replied, “I did not try to rescue any of those who were disappeared because it was not my responsibility, and I did not know who had been disappeared, when, or where.”
Bhuiyan maintained that he took action against the culture of enforced disappearances but acknowledged the lack of documentary evidence. “I took numerous steps to prevent the culture of enforced disappearances. I did not submit any documentary evidence to this effect. There is no documentary evidence,” he said.
He also confirmed that he never formally communicated with the prime minister regarding the matter. “I did not send any letter to the prime minister, nor did I inform him in writing regarding preventing disappearances.”
The witness recounted an incident involving a junior officer who returned from RAB and confessed to killing two people. “That junior officer, after his return from RAB, came to my office to meet me. I do not recall his name. I do not remember the date he came to see me. Despite the junior officer confessing to me that he had killed two people, I did not take any legal action against him. There were no witnesses or evidence regarding this. I did not record this confession.”
Bhuiyan added that the officer was not granted impunity for donating money received from the killings to a mosque. “The officer was not given impunity because he donated the 10,000 taka he received for each killing to a mosque.”
Regarding another officer, the former army chief said he had commuted a sentence. “While I was chief, I remitted two years and three months of his sentence. He was sentenced in a false case. Possibly, he was sentenced in a false militancy case while serving in Mymensingh Cantonment. I commuted that sentence.”
Bhuiyan also addressed allegations of army involvement in corruption during major national projects under his leadership, stating he had no knowledge of such activities. “The army was involved in many national projects during my tenure, including the Padma Bridge project, the Dhaka-Chittagong road project, the Dhaka-Mymensingh road project, constructing medical colleges in various cantonments, increasing cantonments for the army, rank upgradation, Bangladesh Military Academy, and the School of Infantry and Tactics. I do not know if any army personnel were involved in corruption in these projects.”
He clarified that he did not identify any corrupt army personnel in these projects as “they were not under my jurisdiction.”
Regarding accused Ziaul Ahsan, Bhuiyan stated, “I did not give Ziaul Ahsan the opportunity to meet with me while I was army chief. I never called him to seek an explanation.”
When questioned about reports that Ziaul Ahsan kept weapons and installed CCTV at his residence, the witness said, “When Brigadier General Fazl informed me that the accused Ziaul Ahsan kept weapons at his residence, deployed guards, and installed CCTV cameras, I did not conduct any investigation against the accused Ziaul Ahsan.”
Bhuiyan also dismissed claims about his involvement in former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s eviction from her Dhaka Cantonment residence. “It is not true that while I was Quartermaster General, I took all necessary steps aimed at evicting Begum Khaleda Zia from her residence in Dhaka Cantonment. I was abroad at that time.”
The trial against Ziaul Ahsan, who faces three charges related to the killing of 104 people, continues. According to the prosecution, Ahsan served as director of RAB’s intelligence wing and ADG (Ops) between 2009 and 2016, during which time he directly participated in numerous enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
