More than 100 former military officers yesterday urged the leaders of all political parties to keep the armed forces out of controversies and keep its image intact.
They also protested against some fellow officers' attempt to make the armed forces controversial by presenting "motivated, fabricated, and misleading" information from a political party on November 15.
"Nowadays the armed forces are forcibly made a subject of controversy which is very sad. We are seriously protesting against it," former army chief Lt Gen (retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid told a press conference at Trust Auditorium adjacent to Bir Shreshtha Jahangir Gate.
Gen Harun said politics with the armed forces started on November 7, 1975 and the forces have been used to implement narrow interests of a few ambitious officers.
"Cantonment has been made the centre of politics. Hundreds of officers, GOCs and soldiers have been hanged, jailed or dismissed. Political parties have been formed inside the cantonment. Holding election in uniform, one became the president and the entire institution had to bear the burden of that.
"When the force started concentring at professionalism under a secular democratic government, some retired officers tried to make it controversial by presenting motivated, fabricated, and misleading information from a political party on November 15," said the former army chief.
Referring to a statement made by pro-BNP officers, Gen Harun said, "We want to know what the families of the seven Bir Shreshthas and other sector commanders got."
Without mentioning the cantonment residence of Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia, he said it is the duty of the cantonment executive officer (CEO) to implement the High Court judgement.
"Cantonment can't be the centre of politics. Traditionally and legally cantonment is a restricted area and politics is banned there. So [I/we] hail the court verdict," added Harun.
He said evil attempt was made to undermine the ISPR by making derogatory statements against it. As the mouthpiece of the armed forces, the ISPR presented the real scenario, he added.
It is very unfortunate that the names of the ISPR director and the CEO of the cantonment board have been included in the court defamation case regarding 6 Moinul Road house by Khaleda Zia, he observed.
On November 15, some pro-BNP former army officials blasted the ISPR for "misleading" people through a "dirty political campaign" against former premier and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
"The ISPR is now propagating in an audacious and indecent language," said former army chief Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman in a statement on behalf of some former army officials at a press briefing at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office.
"We feel dishonour when top leaders of major parties reject iftar invitation of the armed forces and have iftar with the anti-liberation elements and remain absent at the armed forces day," Gen Harun said.
Maj Gen (retd) Zia Ahmed, also chairman of BTRC, spoke at the press conference. Air Marshal (retd) Jamal Uddin Ahmed, Air Vice Marshal (retd)Rafiqul Islam, MP, Maj Gen (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury, Rear Admiral (retd) Abu Taher, Maj Gen (retd) Abdul Wahab, Maj Gen (retd) Abdul Hafiz Mallik, Maj Gen (retd) Sahab Uddin, among others, were present.