Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, a former Bangladesh Army general, has made inflammatory remarks against India, claiming that Bangladesh would not see “complete peace” unless India “breaks into pieces.” Azmi, the son of former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam, made these provocative comments during an event at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
Azmi reportedly said, “Bangladesh will not see full peace as long as India does not break into pieces,” and blamed New Delhi for various unrests in the country.
Notably, Azmi’s father, Ghulam Azam, was a convicted war criminal who is widely reported to have orchestrated genocide against Hindus and pro-liberation Bengalis during the 1971 Liberation War.
Azmi further alleged that India played a role in fomenting unrest between 1975 and 1996 in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a region consisting of three hilly districts in southeastern Bangladesh that border India.
According to him, “During Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s tenure, the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) was formed, with the Shanti Bahini as its armed wing. India provided them shelter, weapons, and training, which fuelled years of violence in the hills from 1975 to 1996.”
Azmi also criticised the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, claiming that the Shanti Bahini’s surrender of arms was “merely symbolic.” The accord was signed on December 2, 1997, in Dhaka between the Bangladesh government and the PCJSS.
A controversial figure in Bangladesh, Azmi frequently uses social media to target India and comment on regional geopolitical issues. His remarks come at a sensitive time as India and Bangladesh attempt to repair ties strained after the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government.
