Finance Minister says army can take action against former chief Aziz Ahmed

Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali yesterday said that the army can take action against former Bangladesh Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed.

While speaking to reporters at the Secretariat about addressing loan defaulters, the finance minister incidentally mentioned the potential for military action against Aziz Ahmed.

Earlier in the day, the finance minister held a meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Director Krishnamurthy V Subramanian at the Secretariat.

When asked which economic indicator he would highlight as positive, the finance minister gave a vague response. However, when pressed on the economy's biggest challenge, he acknowledged inflation but also noted improvements in areas such as foreign reserves and revenue collection. He downplayed concerns about the dollar exchange rate, stating that the IMF-recommended crawling peg system was working effectively.

Unexpectedly, the finance minister remarked, "Now we have to catch the debtors." When he paused after this statement, journalists asked, "Can you do this? The debtors are very strong." He responded, "Let's see if we can do it or not. You see, action is being taken against the former police chief (Benazir Ahmed). Did he have less power?"

When journalists pointed out that the government had not taken any action against the former army chief, the finance minister replied that while the government had not acted, the army might take steps.

Upon being reminded that Aziz Ahmed is no longer in the army, the finance minister stated that the army could still take action even after retirement.