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Lt General Waker-Uz-Zaman Appointed as Chief of Bangladesh Army
Lt General Waker-Uz-Zaman has been appointed the new chief of the Bangladesh Army, effective from the afternoon of June 23, according to a release from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) today.
He will serve a three-year term, during which he will be promoted to the rank of General and assume the role of Army Chief. Currently, he is the Chief of General Staff of the Bangladesh Army.
An alumnus of the Bangladesh Military Academy, Lt General Waker was commissioned into the Corps of Infantry on December 20, 1985. His distinguished military career spans over three and a half decades, encompassing numerous key command, staff, and instructional roles.
Throughout his career, Lt General Waker has commanded an Infantry Battalion, the only Independent Infantry Brigade of the Bangladesh Army, and an Infantry Division. His notable staff appointments include roles at an Infantry Brigade, the School of Infantry and Tactics, and Army Headquarters. He has also served as a distinguished instructor at the School of Infantry and Tactics, the Non-Commissioned Officers’ Academy, and the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training.
Lt General Waker held the position of Military Secretary at Army Headquarters and, before becoming Chief of General Staff on January 1 this year, he served as the Principal Staff Officer to the Prime Minister in the Armed Forces Division under the Prime Minister’s Office.
He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur, and the Joint Services Command and Staff College, UK. He 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, University of London.
In his role as head of the Armed Forces Division, Lt General Waker was directly involved in the UN Peacekeeping Affairs of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. He was also recognized as a Gender Champion and Advocate for Bangladesh in UN Peacekeeping Affairs.
Additionally, as Principal Staff Officer, he chaired the Bangladesh National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention. Under the UN’s Blue Helmet, he completed two tours of duty as an observer and staff in UNAVEM (Angola) and UNMIL (Liberia).
As Chief of General Staff, he has overseen military operations, intelligence, UN peacekeeping affairs, budgeting, and various other army matters. Notably, he commanded the National Victory Day Parade for three consecutive years.
Lt General Waker has been honored with the Army Medal of Glory (SGP) and the Extraordinary Service Medal (OSP) for his significant contributions to army modernization. He is a frequent keynote speaker at seminars and symposiums both domestically and internationally.
He is married to Sarahnaz Kamalika Zaman and has two daughters, Samiha Raisa Zaman and Shayeera Ibnat Zaman. He enjoys games and sports in his leisure time.
Leaders of the quota reform movement have resolutely refused to negotiate with the government, insisting that their movement will persist until their demands are met.
In a Facebook post, Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the movement, declared, “No discussion through stepping onto blood.”
Asif Mahmud, another prominent leader, echoed this sentiment, stating, “There can be no dialogue with bullets. I would prefer death over this betrayal.”
He further elaborated, “On one side, there are bullets. On the other, there is a call for dialogue. We can’t sit for dialogue while stepping onto the blood of our brothers.”
Earlier, leaders of the quota reform movement accused the government of escalating the law and order situation towards violence, asserting that their movement was peaceful until the government’s intervention.
Vowing to continue their struggle, Asif Mahmud stated, “We will continue our protests till we achieve our demands for reformation of the quota system, reopening of the halls and campuses, making university campuses terror-free, withdrawing political forces from the campuses, and punishing the killers and attackers.”
He added, “The people of the country have encircled those who tried to corner us. No conspiracy will be able to derail our movement.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged both local and international investors to invest in the extraction of marine resources from Bangladesh’s extensive sea areas.
“In order to fortify the blue economy through the diverse utilization of our marine resources, I call upon local and foreign investors to seize the opportunity to invest in Bangladesh. This will enable us to harness more of our marine resources,” she announced.
The Prime Minister made these remarks during the inauguration of the Bangladesh International Aquaculture and Seafood Show-2024 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka.
She emphasized the importance of adhering to proper standards in the collection, distribution, and processing of fish to boost exports, aiming to make fish the country’s second-largest source of foreign currency.
Sheikh Hasina pointed out that her government has made limited progress in harvesting fish and other sea resources from the deep sea due to a lack of interest from local investors.
“Therefore, we need foreign investment to advance in this area. This is the reality we must face,” she noted.
She also suggested that both local and foreign investors can collaborate in joint ventures or invest separately in this sector to achieve better results.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate and moderately heavy rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across all eight divisions of the country over the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
In its weather bulletin issued this morning, the BMD stated, “Light to moderate rain or thundershowers with temporary gusty wind is expected in a few places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Additionally, one or two places in Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, and Barisal divisions may experience similar conditions, with moderately heavy falls anticipated at several locations in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions.”
The bulletin also highlighted that the current mild heat wave sweeping across the Rangpur division and the districts of Tangail, Chuadanga, Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra, and Netrokona may persist.
Daytime temperatures are expected to rise slightly, while nighttime temperatures are likely to remain nearly unchanged throughout the country.
On Wednesday, the highest recorded temperature was 36.7 degrees Celsius, observed in Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Rajarhat. The lowest temperature recorded today was 26.0 degrees Celsius, noted in Bandarban and Teknaf.
Over the last 24 hours, rainfall amounted to 16 mm in Bandarban.
For the capital, the sun will set at 6:48 pm today and rise at 5:21 am tomorrow.
