Bangladesh’s newly installed administration has carried out a major reorganisation of the Army’s senior leadership, naming a new Chief of General Staff and reassigning top officers in critical operational and intelligence positions, according to local media accounts.
The shake-up was announced by Army Headquarters on Sunday, just days after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office on February 17, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The changes affect several key commands, including the country’s main military intelligence body.
Lieutenant General M Mainur Rahman has been appointed Chief of General Staff (CGS). He previously served as General Officer Commanding of the Army Training and Doctrine Command (ARTDOC), Prothom Alo reported, citing defence ministry sources.
As part of the restructuring, Principal Staff Officer Lieutenant General S M Kamrul Hasan has been replaced by newly promoted Lieutenant General Mir Mushfiqur Rahman.
Hasan has been posted to the foreign ministry and is expected to take up a diplomatic assignment as an ambassador.
Major General Kaiser Rashid Chowdhury has been appointed Director General of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the report said.
Currently a brigadier general at Army Headquarters, he is set to assume the role following his promotion to major general.
Brigadier General Md Hafizur Rahman, who had been serving as defence adviser at the Bangladesh High Commission in India, has been recalled and will head an infantry division as General Officer Commanding with promotion to the rank of major general.
The military reshuffle comes amid notable political shifts. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a two-thirds majority in the February 12 general election, and Rahman, 60, was sworn in on February 17, ending the 18-month administration of Muhammad Yunus.
