Stressing on building a strong military, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said a disciplined and modern army helps in consolidating democracy and asked the Army Headquarters Selection Board to pick qualified people for promotion.

“I believe that the selection board will select qualified people for promotion through wisdom and prudent analyses rising above the personal liking and disliking. You’ll have to find out the able leadership maintaining neutrality by remaining free from all influences,” she said while addressing a meeting of the selection board.

The Prime Minister joined the meeting, held at Army Multipurpose Complex in Dhaka, virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence, her Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told reporters.

“Right persons will have to be promoted for various important appointments such as command, staff and trainers. This will increase the acceptance to all,” she said.

She said the Awami League government always governs the country as the servant of the people, never as a ruler. "A disciplined and modern army plays a very helpful role in consolidating democracy."

“That’s why its leadership must be entrusted to professional and responsible officers who are always ready for supreme sacrifices to protect the sovereignty [of the country], being imbued with the ideology of the great Liberation War,” she added.

Bangladesh, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence, has seen military rule for almost 14 years since the mid-1970s. However, after the ouster of President General Hossain Mohammad Ershad in 1990 following widespread civil protests, there has been regular elections and power has changed hands between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Awami League, with various non-party caretaker governments in between.

The prime minister said: “Discipline is the backbone of the army.  At the same time, it’s necessary to find honest, fair-minded, righteous, people-friendly and humane officers who are successful in various fields of their career.”

She said Bangladesh Army had started its progress due to the sincere efforts of the Father of the Nation and the country’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, affectionately called Bangabandhu.

 In the continuation of the progress journey, the army has now become a highly professional, efficient and modern force due to intensive care from her government, she said.

“Our army has been working very efficiently in various development and public welfare activities, including containing the recent Corona pandemic, which is commendable. Not only in the country, but our Army has also brought a rare honor and dignity to the country from the world stage,” she said.

The premier said her government has been taking initiatives to modernize the armed forces and established the National Defence College (NDC) in 1996, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in 1998, Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) and Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC).

To enhance the organizational capacity of the army, the government has added a significant number of units and institutions alongside three new formations in its organizational structure. In 2016, the government established Bangladesh Peace Building Center (HPC), she added.

(SAM)