General Moeen U Ahmed has said that the country could be saved from a grave crisis, by bringing about the 1/11 changes, "Though I knew that the people of the country were ready to welcome martial law.”

Speaking at the launch of his new book "Shantir Shopne, shomoyer smriticharon” (dream for peace, reminiscence of time) at the Kurmitola Golf Club on Thursday Gen Moeen said, 1/11 changeover was necessitated to avoid a bloody political confrontation in case of holding election in the given situation and to avert full military takeover.

The general has been quoted as saying, "To overcome the crisis there were three options before us - holding election in the prevailing situation or declaring martial law or declaring emergency without suspending the Constitution and holding the election as soon as possible for restoring democracy.

Eventually, the third option was adopted as the best way out in consultation with the President, he said.

In an oblique reference to martial law rule declared several times before in the country he said, "We had been misguided onto the wrong way in the past and we still have to pay a price for that."

It was decided at the meeting between Generals and the President at Bangabhaban on January 11, 2007 that the caretaker government led by the President would be dissolved to make way for a new interim government led by a neutral person. "The President listened and kept silent for a while, and then gave his opinion in favour of emergency," the Army chief said narrating the episode of 1/11 changeover amid a political turmoil over the general election originally billed for January 22, 2007.

And the changes started taking place with the President standing down and declaring state of emergency. The swearing in of the Fakhruddin Ahmed government took place on January 12 in the process.

The new government then cancelled the Jan 22 general election and then launched a cleanup drive to create a level playing field for holding the national election which was ultimately held on 29 December last.

General Moeen’s book and observations have come against this backdrop a demand that has been raised about impeachment of President Iajuddin Ahmed by some members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on the charge of violation of the Constitution. BNP MPs boycotted the President’s inaugural address made in Parliament on the same ground.

Some treasury bench members of Parliament have also made strong remarks about the period of the interim administration and has also demanded changing of rules guiding some agencies.

There is no denying the fact that the political crisis that led to the change of 1/11 was the creation of politicians, not of the disciplined forces, which Gen Moeen has boldly asserted, Generals had to intervene and meet with the President to come up with a suitable option for solution. Had that situation led to another period of martial law rule in the country, a return to democratic order would have faced serious and uncertain complications.

Those irresponsible and highly ambitious ones who are too eager to get posts and position for themselves in the changed situation must not forget the hard work and terrible risk the caretaker government and the armed forces have taken to bring back democracy.

Our political leaders should be very careful not to be misled again by such selfish and over ambitious ones, specially those who have corruption cases against them. They may remain assured that irresponsible utterances against those who paved the way for democracy and rule of law have yet to learn the right lessons.