Retired Bangladeshi brigadier general Abdullahil Amaan Azmi has stoked fresh controversy, saying Bangladesh would be in "complete peace" unless India "shatters into several pieces".
Speaking during an online discussion at the Dhaka Press Club, Azmi claimed that New Delhi has always wanted to keep the unrest in Bangladesh alive.
Azmi alleged that New Delhi was responsible for 1975-1996 unrest in the Chittagong Hills Tracts, which includes the districts of Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban.
"During the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government, the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) was formed... Its armed wing was the Shanti Bahini. India sheltered them, provided arms and training, which led to bloodshed in the hills from 1975 to 1996," Azmi alleged.
Who is Abdullahil Amaan Azmi?
Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, who parent unit was the 14th East Bengal Regiment, is a retired one star officer. He was dismissed from the army in 2009 reportedly without pension. He was imprisoned in the Aynaghar secret detention centre from 2016 to 2024 by the Sheikh Hasina regime. Azmi was released after Hasina was ousted as prime minister. The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government withdrew Azmi's dismissal and gave him a proper retirement on December 26, 2024.
In September 2024, Azmi made headlines when he proposed a new national anthem and constitution. He also sought a national committee that will prevent passing of laws that contradict the Shariah law.
Who was Abdullahil Amaan Azmi's father?
Abdullahil Amaan Azmi is the eldest son of Ghulam Azam, the former chief of Bangladesh's radical Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami. It should be noted that the former army officer's father Azam was convicted of war crimes and was found responsible for the massacre of Hindus during the 1971 Liberation War. Azam died in 2014 during imprisonment.