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"I am taking full responsibility," said General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the army chief of Bangladesh, shortly after the country's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position and fled the country on Monday, 5 August, amid nationwide protests over her government's contentious quota policy.
The 58-year-old army veteran found himself in the global spotlight when he announced that an interim government will be formed following discussions with "all political parties" in the country. He also appealed for calm, and assured protesters that allegations of excessive use of force would be investigated thoroughly.
Zaman now has the responsibility of tidying over a crisis that has already killed over 300 people and injured scores more since the agitations began in July this year.
Will he succeed in his task? Only time will tell. But what we do know is that he has been in charge of some of the most challenging positions in the country's military and administrative machinery.
Distinguished Military Record, Worked Closely With Hasina
Zaman had assumed the position of Bangladesh's army chief in June this year for a standard three-year tenure.
Born in 1966 in the capital city Dhaka, the general holds two Masters' degrees in Defence Studies from the National University of Bangladesh and from King's College, London.
Zaman is married to Sarahnaz Kamalika Zaman, the daughter of the country's former army chief Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman, who served in the post from 1997 to 2000. Rahman is also the cousin-in-law of Sheikh Hasina's father and Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, making him Hasina's uncle.
Before taking on the role of army chief, Waker-Uz-Zaman served as the Chief of General Staff for around six months, during which time he oversaw intelligence, military operations, budgetary allocations, and the country's contributions to the United Nations peacekeeping operations.
He also served as the principal staff officer at the Armed Forces Division under the Prime Minister's Office when Hasina was the premier, and is said to have had extensive discussions with her on a regular basis for better coordination between the executive and the army.
In his 35-year-long military career, Zaman has been in charge of crucial administrative positions. Some of them include being commander of an Infantry Batallion, officer at an Infantry Brigade, and instructor at the School of Infantry and Tactics, Institute of Peace Support Operations Training, and the Non-Commissioned Officers' Academy.
He is also the recipient of top military honours, such as the Army Medal of Glory and the Extraordinary Service Medal.
Zaman's last visit to India was in August 2022, when he was the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division. During his visit, he called on the then Indian Army chief Manoj Pande and discussed ways to enhance defence operations between the two countries.
Zaman is now scheduled to hold a meeting with student protesters on Tuesday. The protesters have demanded that Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus be the head of the interim government instead of the army chief.
Bangladesh Unrest
The dramatic turn of events that unfolded on Monday, 5 August, were sparked by the deaths of at least 98 people the day before who had taken to the streets under the banner of the 'Anti-Discrimination Student Movement' to protest against the Hasina government's quota policy and excessive use of force against protesters during the agitations in July.
While Hasina fled the country in a helicopter and reportedly landed in Hindon Airbase near New Delhi – where she is currently still believed to be with her younger sister – protesters stormed the Prime Minister's Palace and ransacked the property.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday chaired an all-party meeting to apprise political leaders of the ongoing situation in Bangladesh.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, among others.
"Appreciate the unanimous support and understanding that was extended," Jaishankar took to X (formerly Twitter) to say, following the discussions.
Including the 98 people killed on Sunday, the death toll in the Bangladesh protests has surpassed 300. The agitations had taken grip of the country last month due to a quota system that provided 30 percent reservation in government jobs for family members of freedom fighters who took part in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971.
The protests spiraled into a nationwide 'anti-Hasina movement' in the backdrop of rising prices of essential commodities and a general economic downturn.
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