Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman on Tuesday urged all not to disrupt the trial process of 2009 Pilkhana massacre case, saying that it was entirely carried out by members of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).
“It is crucial to remember that this barbaric act was not committed by any army personnel. It was entirely carried out by members of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). Full stop... there is no ‘if’ or ‘but’ here,” said the army chief at an event at Raowa Club in the capital.
“If you bring in ‘ifs’ and ‘buts,’ the judicial process that has been going on for 16 to 17 years, the justice served to those convicted, will be disrupted. We must be absolutely clear about this. Those who have been punished deserved it,” he added.
Regarding the potential involvement of political leaders or external forces in the incident, the army chief said that a commission was formed to investigate the matter.
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“The commission chairman is present here. He will uncover the facts and inform you accordingly,” he said.
“The bottom line is that our valiant army personnel lost their lives to bullets fired by the then BDR members. Some of us are trying to create a controversy and divert this issue in different directions, but that will not be beneficial for us,” he added.