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Waker-Uz-Zaman
Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Waker-Uz-Zaman[a][b] (born 16 September 1966) is a four-star general of the Bangladesh Army who is the incumbent Chief of Army Staff. Earlier, he was the Chief of General Staff at Army Headquarters and the 15th Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division.[c]
Just over a month of his tenure amid the Student–People's uprising, he announced the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024.[d]
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Early life and education
Waker was born into a Bengali Muslim family on 16 September 1966 at Dacca of then East Pakistan. Waker's family hailed from Sherpur of now Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. His father was Asad-Uz-Zaman, a notable district judge of Sherpur and Gaibandha. Waker's paternal grandfather was Fazlur Rahman who was given the title of Khan Bahadur by the erstwhile ruling British Administration for his services to the British Raj and so was his maternal grandfather Sadiq Khan.[13][14]
Waker was enlisted to Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) on 1983 and was commissioned on 20 December 1985 from 13th BMA Long Course in the East Bengal Regiment. Waker is an alumnus of Defence Services Command and Staff College and Joint Services Command and Staff College in the United Kingdom.[15] He obtained his two master's degrees, one master of science in strategic planning from Bangladesh University of Professionals and another master of Arts in defence studies from King's College, University of London.[16][17][15]
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Military career
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Waker served as instructor at the Non-Commissioned Officer's Academy in Bogra, School of Infantry and Tactics in Sylhet and also in Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training. He served in the United Nations Mission in Liberia and United Nations Angola Verification Mission I. As lieutenant colonel, he directed Army Security Unit at Dhaka Cantonment and commanded the 17th East Bengal Regiment in Momenshahi.[15] He was promoted to colonel and served as Deputy Assistant Military Secretary in Military Secretary's Branch at Army Headquarters. He was then upgraded to brigadier general and appointed commander of the 46th Independent Infantry Brigade in Dhaka and then as Deputy Military Secretary back at the Army Headquarters. Waker was promoted to major general in 2013 and posted as military secretary at the headquarters.[15]
Furthermore, he was appointed general officer commanding of 9th Infantry Division and area Commander of Savar Area which he served until returning back to the headquarters, again as military secretary in 2017.[18] On 30 November 2020, Waker was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division.[19] He served as the chairperson of Bangladesh National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention.[20] He was a member of the governing body of the National Defence College.[21]
He was appointed Chief of General Staff of Bangladesh Army on 29 December 2023.[22] General Waker is also worked as the acting chairman of the Central Coordination Committee of Cantonment Public Schools and Colleges. On 11 June 2024, Government of Bangladesh appointed him as the next chief of army staff.[23]
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Interim government formation and support
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On 5 August 2024, following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and self-imposed exile from Bangladesh amidst the Student-People's uprising, Waker announced that an interim government will be formed with the support of the political parties and the protesters, promising that the military would investigate violence against student protesters and hand over power. Members of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus were sworn in on the night of 8 August, three days after the Fifth Hasina ministry was dissolved following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina and the ousting of her regime.[24] Waker-uz-Zaman oversaw the oath-taking ceremony of Yunus in presence of political leaders, civil society leaders, generals and diplomats. Yunus was declared head of the interim government of Bangladesh, but other attendees that were sworn in to act as Yunus' interim cabinet members were referred to as "advisers" rather than ministers. These new advisers included student protesters, such as, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, whom led the quota reform and the non-cooperation movement culminating in the ousting of Sheikh Hasina.[25]
He hinted that the interim government may have 15 members for instance. However, he did not disclose their names and the possible tenure of the government.[26][27] He vowed to help and support the interim government to help it complete reforms following the constitutional crisis, and to held a general election within 18 months.[28]
Criticism
In March 2025, Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam accused Waker-Uz-Zaman of opposing the appointment of Muhammad Yunus as chief advisor after 5 August 2024, and they also claimed that, in March 2025, Waker secretly argued over a proposal to Hasnat and two other anti-discrimination student movement leaders to bring Awami League back into Bangladeshi politics without a trial, which led to widespread criticism on social media and the media, as well as reactions in political circles.[29][30][31]
Personal life
Waker is married to Begum Sarahnaz Kamalika Rahman, the eldest daughter of late General Mustafizur Rahman, and the couple has two daughters.[17] Sarahnaz's father general, Mustafizur Rahman, was the former chief of army staff from 24 December 1997 to 23 December 2000.[32] Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina is a cousin of Sarahnaz.[33][34]
References
External links
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