Ex-home minister Kamal admits Hasina's ouster as 'intelligence failure'

Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has admitted the fall of Awami League (AL) as an intelligence failure and termed it as a "joint coup by Islamic terrorists and army".

"I agree there was an intelligence failure, whether intentionally or otherwise. But it was also an army coup," the 74-year-old AL leader told The Indian Express in an interview published yesterday (24 January).

"I would say it was a joint coup. A joint coup by Islamic terrorists and the army," claimed Kamal, who is believed to be hiding in India.

Meanwhile, the Chief Adviser's Press Wing said Kamal's interview with the Indian newspaper is "full of lies and misinformation".

"In his interview, Kamal termed the July-August Student-People Mass Uprising as an 'a joint coup by Islamic terrorists and the army.' It demonstrates further that fallen dictator Hasina, her aides, and her party still have no remorse for overseeing the killing of over a thousand people, including children, and injuring nearly 20,000 people," said the press wing in a statement posted on its verified Facebook page - CA Press Wing Facts.

During the interview with The Indian Express, Kamal was asked if he admitted that AL had made some fundamental mistakes that set off resentment. The former home minister replied that AL took a long time to make decisions to reorganise the party.  

"That is the thing. After two years, new leaders should come up. But we could not select the leaders in due course," he added. 

Claiming that 460 police stations were burnt and 5,829 weapons taken away from 3-5 August, Kamal said, "I have witnessed a lot of developments during this period… Now everything has been reversed 360 degrees."

"Weapons of the SSF [Special Security Force] were also taken away from Ganabhaban where the prime minister lives. I myself was in Dhaka 5-6 August and left my home on 7 August."

The CA Press Wing debunked this claim, saying, "Kamal, in his interview, said between 3-5 August last year, approximately 460 police stations were burnt, and 5,829 weapons were taken away from police stations."

"According to Police Headquarters, a total of 5,750 arms were looted from police stations, and most of them were looted on 5 August," said the press wing.

Of the looted arms, it said, police have already recovered 4,358 arms, and the drives to recover the rest are still on. 

The Police Headquarters data also said a total of 114 police stations came under attack during the movement. Of them, 58 were burnt, and 56 were vandalised, while all the police stations are now functional, according to the statement.

Calls on chief adviser to leave position

Kamal called on Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to leave his position and ask all political parties, including AL, to fight elections and restore democracy.

"He has no authority to sit on the chair, he is not a leader, not a political figure. A very strange thing has happened to our country. Bangladesh has become a strange example," he claimed during the interview. 

Events before 5 August ouster

During The Indian Express interview, Kamal was asked if he was in touch with AL president Sheikh Hasina. 

"I cannot meet her, but I can telephone her, talk about problems and seek directions. I was with her almost until the midnight of 4 August. The police chief was there. The army chief was there, and he assured the Prime Minister that nothing will happen, that we will control the situation," he said. 

Quoting the army chief, Kamal claimed, "He said your protection is my responsibility. I am witness to all this. I had asked him again: are you taking full responsibility and he said yes."

"Then I asked the police chief, who was under my command, that he should freely discuss with the army and that everything should be normal. But you have seen what happened on 5 August," he told The Indian Express.

Seeks India's intervention in Bangladesh's courts

During the interview, Kamal said India can help AL in a diplomatic way. 

"Now India can help us in a diplomatic way. Our courts are paralysed. The pleaders of the Awami League cannot go to the courts. The judges have all been re-appointed. So the first thing is that diplomatic pressure and a loud voice should be raised so that courts start functioning again. India can help in this," he said. 

"There are about 290 murder cases against me. This must be a record, maybe even an international record. In 54 cases, the person who was supposed to have been murdered, have come back alive … In these cases, our former prime minister and I and several other leaders are all named," he added. 

The CA Press Wing, in its statement, said Kamal seeking India's intervention in Bangladesh's courts is "a clear threat against Bangladesh's sovereignty and proof of a conspiracy being hatched by Hasina and her people from India against Bangladesh".

"Kamal claimed that 54 murder victims had come back after he was accused in cases regarding these killings. His claim is totally baseless, and The Indian Express published it without any verification by any official or independent sources," it said.