Dhaka reset: Tarique govt reshuffles Bangladesh Army, recalls defence adviser from India

The newly sworn-in government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered a major reshuffle of the Bangladesh Army and military intelligence , including calling back the defence adviser posted in India , in one of the most sweeping overhauls of the country’s security establishment in recent years.

According to official orders issued by Army Headquarters, Lieutenant General M Mainur Rahman has been appointed Chief of General Staff , while Major General Kaiser Rashid Chowdhury has been named director general of the powerful Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). Outgoing Principal Staff Officer Lieutenant General S M Kamrul Hasan has been moved to the foreign ministry for ambassadorial assignment. Brigadier General Md Hafizur Rahman, currently Bangladesh’s defence adviser in India, has been called back and promoted to major general to take charge as General Officer Commanding of an infantry division. The reshuffle, affecting both operational and intelligence chains of command, comes days after Rahman assumed office on February 17 following the BNP’s two-thirds majority victory in the February 12 elections.

Amid the military overhaul, India has stepped up diplomatic engagement. Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pranay Verma met Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and conveyed New Delhi’s readiness to reengage, stressing people-centric cooperation , trade, investment, tourism, visa facilitation and humanitarian collaboration. The meeting, also attended by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed, was described as a courtesy call and an initial exchange of views.

Verma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Rahman on February 13 and later spoke to him by phone, during which Modi invited the new prime minister to visit India, a move widely seen as a strong diplomatic signal. Historically, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina made India one of her first foreign destinations, including her maiden state visit in 2010 and early engagements after her 2014 and 2018 victories, reflecting close bilateral ties, while Khaleda Zia, during her tenures, often prioritised China, Saudi Arabia or Pakistan.

Meanwhile, underlining India’s domestic security focus, the Odisha government informed the Assembly that 73 of 77 Bangladeshi infiltrators were deported after verification of 2,261 suspected cases, with two more deportations underway.