Former Army Chief General (retd) Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan on Sunday said the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) effectively became the main regulator of the country during the 2007-2009 period.
During that period, DGFI picked up civilians, former ministers, and political figures, including Tarique Rahman, for interrogation, and some were subjected to inhumane torture, the former army chief said, adding that such practices became habitual within the organisation.
He made the statement while testifying before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) in a case involving allegations of enforced disappearances and killings against dismissed Major General Ziaul Ahsan, former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC).
General Bhuiyan further said following the BDR carnage, hatred towards India and Awami League intensified among army officials, and the gap between senior and junior officers widened significantly.
By bypassing professional officers, Sheikh Hasina promoted only loyal officers within the Army. She turned the force into a corrupt institution by involving it in various large government projects, believing that a corrupt military would be safer for her rule, he noted.
As his testimony remained incomplete, the tribunal fixed Monday for the next hearing. A two-member bench of the ICT-1, headed by its Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, recorded the testimony.
At the beginning of the hearing, Prosecutor Gazi M H Tamim presented the opening statement of the case, after which Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan took the stand as the first witness.
General Bhuiyan also referred to "Operation Clean Heart", saying many killings occurred during the operation before the formation of RAB in 2003.
According to him, 12 people died of heart attack during interrogation, while Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported 60 deaths. He added that those involved were later granted indemnity, which he described as a 'license to kill'.
Ziaul Ahsan, the only accused in the case, was brought before the tribunal from jail in the morning. Lawyers Munsurul Haq Chowdhury and Nazneen Nahar represented the defence.
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