Army to be pulled from field eventually: Home Minister

Staff Reporter :

The Army, currently deployed across the country with executive magistracy powers, needs to be withdrawn from the field at some point, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said.

He, however, did not specify a date for the pullout.
The minister shared his views while responding to reporters following a meeting with the Fire Service and Civil Defence at the Secretariat on Sunday.

“There was a directive for them to remain until 15 days after the election. That period has likely concluded,” the minister said.

“However, according to previous government orders, the armed forces remain in the field with magistracy powers until further notice,” he said.

The home minister noted that the Army itself is not keen on an indefinite civilian deployment.
“They also do not want to remain in the field for a long time. There are training schedules being disrupted and other internal issues,” he said.

“At this moment, I cannot say exactly when they will be withdrawn, but it is certainly necessary to pull the army back from field duties eventually,” he added.

The military has been stationed across Bangladesh since the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024.

On Sept 17, 2024, the government granted executive magistracy powers to commissioned officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to bolster law-enforcing efforts.

Their tenure has been extended several times since then to maintain law and order during the transition and the recent general elections.