Zafrullah apologises for remarks on the army chief

Zafrullah Chowdhury, a leader of a professional group supporting the BNP, has apologised over his remarks on the current army chief in a TV programme.

"I made an incorrect statement regarding the current army chief General Aziz Ahmed by mistake," he said at a press conference on Saturday.

“I apologise sincerely for spreading incorrect information and am shocked that I have done so. I had no intention of defaming General Aziz.”

“I express my sincere regret for any unintentional offence to General Aziz.”

Zafrullah, a trustee board member of Gonoshasthyo Kendra, called the conference at Gonoshasthyo Nagar Hospital after he had made headlines because of his remarks during a Somoy TV discussion programme.

Zafrullah is also an activist of the Jatiyo Oikya Prokriya led by Kamal Hossain and B Chowdhury.

The present Chief of Army Staff General Aziz Ahmed faced a ‘court martial’ as ‘arms and ammunitions’ were stolen from the cantonment when he had been assigned as the ‘GOC Chattogram’, Zafrullah claimed during the day before the verdict on the Aug 21 grenade attack case was announced.

“General Aziz is a skilled military artillery official and was not a GOC of the Chattogram Cantonment, nor a commandant,” Zafrullah said at the press conference on Saturday.

“At one point in his career he was assigned as the artillery trainer at the Chattogram army camp. He did not face a court martial. He once faced a court of inquiry.”

Gonoshasthaya Kendra Trustee Board member Zafrullah Chowdhury apologises for incorrect remarks he made about the chief of the army, at a press conference in Dhaka on Saturday. Photo: Asif Mahmud Ove

Asked whether he withdrew his remarks, he said: “My choice of words was incorrect. It is that simple. Of course I will apologise for my mistake.”

Asked whether he had been ‘threatened’ in any way, he said: “I am not susceptible to threats. I am not afraid.”

“I am proud of our army. I had spent a number of days with army officials during the Liberation War. I was the one who initiated the Cumilla Combined Military Hospital. Later, Dr Azizur Rahman and I established the Dhaka Combined Military Hospital.   

The army headquarters sent a response on the issue, which Somoy TV broadcast along with a statement.

“The present Chief of Army Staff General Aziz Ahmed has never served as the GOC or commandant in Chattogram cantonment in his career. He was the commander of 33 artillery brigade in Cumilla from Sep 2010 to Jun 2011; brigade commander of 6 individual ADA brigade in Mirpur Dhaka from   Jun 2011 to May 2012 and GOC of the 33 infantry division in Cumilla from May 2012 to Dec 2012,” the statement reads.

“There has been no incident of stealing arms and ammunitions during the stated time in Cumilla or Chattogram cantonment. It is to be noted that the present Chief of Army Staff has never faced any court martial in his long career in the army.”

Zafrullah’s statement appears to be ‘intentional’ and it has been designed to ‘disdain the army, a national institute along with the army chief in public,’ stated the army headquarter rejoinder.   

Zafrullah held the press conference following the response and apologised.