Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Moeen U Ahmed, on his part, has been trying to weed out pro-Khaleda Zia officers after he nipped in the bud a coup plot against him last year. This was prompted, among other reasons, by Moeen’s change in stand to forge closer military ties with India.

In a major reshuffle, he shifted a handful of Generals after it was revealed that Lt Gen Masududdin Chowdhury, who then had under his command the critical 9 Infantry Division located at Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka, was behind the plot. He is related to Khaleda Zia’s brother Maj Gen (retd) Syed Shamim Iskander — their wives are sisters.

While so far the Army has held together amid reports of its officers being killed by BDR personnel, the assessment is there is more to it than BDR demands for parity with Army personnel which has led to the current situation. A spectre of instability, coupled with suspicious battles within the Army that is expected to control the situation and a new government wanting to try 1971 war criminals could rapidly trigger an unexpected crisis in Dhaka.

This has to also to be seen in the context of death threats to Hasina in recent weeks. She has had to be shifted to a more secure guest house. Even during her campaign, sources said, there were reasonably credible inputs about such plots by extremist outfits. Her government’s decision to try war criminals has made the Jamiat-e-Islami very nervous as many of its members could come under the scanner for allegedly collaborating with the then Pakistan Army Generals.

... contd.