Zafrullah apologizes for comments on army chief

Zafrullah apologizes for comments on army chief

Dhaka, Oct 13 (Just News): Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury has apologized for his remarks on incumbent army chief Aziz Ahmed.

“I am sorry for providing wrong information about army chief General Aziz Ahmed,” he told a media briefing on Saturday in Dhaka.

He insisted that he had “no intention to dishonour our army chief”.

“I am proud of our army,” he said, adding that the press briefing was arranged “to clear the misunderstanding.”

At a television talk show on October 9, Zafrullah claimed that a huge cache of firearms and ammunition were stolen, lost and sold when Gen Aziz was the Chittagong commandant, GOC. “General Aziz was court marshalled for this,” he said.

The Inter Services Public Relation (ISPR), in a statement on Saturday, criticized Zafrullah’s remarks, dubbing them “irresponsible,” “ill-motivated” and “false.”

“Incumbent Chief of Army Staff General Aziz Ahmed never served as the Chittagong GOC or commandant in his career,” the ISPR said.

Gen Aziz served as the 33 Artillery Brigade’s brigade commander from September 2010 to June 2011 in Comilla. From June 2011 to May 2012 he was the brigade commander of 6 independent ADA Brigade in Dhaka’s Mirpur and was the GOC of 33 Infantry Division in Comilla from May 2012 to December 2012, the ISPR clarified.

“During the said time, no firearms or ammunitions were stolen or lost from Chittagong or Comilla cantonments … General Aziz was never court marshalled in his long illustrious military career,” the ISPR statement added.