In focus : Bangladesh army chief Gen Wakeruz Zaman

 Just over a month after he became Bangladesh’s army chief, General Wakeruz Zaman has been thrust into the limelight, announcing the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who fled the country on Monday.

Bangladesh has been engulfed by protests and violence that began last month after student groups demanded the scrapping of a controversial quota system in government jobs. That escalated into a campaign to seek the ouster of Hasina, who has been in power for 15 years and most recently swept to a fourth straight term in January.

Snap : social media 

Nearly 250 people have been killed in the violence.

Zaman, 58, assumed the duties of army chief on June 23 for a period of three years — the normal tenure for the position.

Born in Dhaka in 1966, he is married to Sarahnaz Kamalika Zaman, the daughter of General Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman, who was army chief from 1997 to 2000.

Zaman holds a master’s degree in Defence Studies from the National University of Bangladesh and a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from King’s College, London, according to the Bangladesh Army website.

Prior to becoming the army chief, he served as the Chief of General Staff for a little over six months — a role in which he oversaw, among other things, military operations and intelligence, Bangladesh’s role in UN peacekeeping operations, and budget.

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Why did protesters want Hasina’s resignation?

The protesters blamed Hasina’s government for the violence during the protests in July. Hasina’s critics and rights groups accused her government of using excessive force against protesters, a charge her government denied.

What Hasina said recently?

Hasina and her government initially said students were not involved in the violence during the quota protests and blamed the religio-political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for the clashes and arson.

After violence erupted again on Sunday, Hasina said that “those who are carrying out violence are not students but terrorists who are out to destabilise the nation”.

The students’ group declined Hasina’s offer for talks to resolve the crisis.

What triggered the job quota protests?

Demonstrations started at university campuses in June after the High Court reinstated a quota system for government jobs, overturning a 2018 decision by Hasina’s government to scrap it.

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On political crisis in Bangladesh, former Foreign Secretary and ex-Ambassador to Bangladesh, Harsh Vardhan Shringla says,

 "...I would also look at it as an economic factor and opportunists - whether it is the Opposition BNP or Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami...They have joined the protest and they have put in the violence in the protest. You can't rule out the involvement of foreign powers who are inimical to Bangladesh's interest and to our security also. You cannot rule out the fact that certain interests have been fishing in troubled waters. But I think the situation itself was a result of several underlying factors, inherent within Bangladesh."

"I have been saying in many of my interactions with the media, including with ANI, that there are underlying factors behind this. On the face of it, it has been the quota issue that the students have put forward. But there are underlying economic factors. COVID-19 has hit Bangladesh economy very hard. In addition to that, the Ukraine conflict has resulted in spiking the prices of essential commodities...They had a very difficult balance of payment. Inflation has gone up by 17-20%. So, all of this is essentially now coming to a situation where people are expressing their frustration on the streets. So, I would also look at it as an economic factor and opportunists - whether it is the Opposition BNT or Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami...They have joined the protest and they have put in the violence in the protest.  You can't rule out the involvement of foreign powers who are inimical to Bangladesh's interest and to our security also. You cannot rule out the fact that certain interests have been fishing in troubled waters. But I think the situation itself was a result of several underlying factors, inherent within Bangladesh."