Former DGFI director Brig (Retd) Fazlul Bari, now living in the United States, yesterday denied media reports about his romance and marriage with recently arrested Mehnaz Rashid, daughter of Col (Retd) Rashid, a convict in Bangabandhu murder case.

"All these are part of a blue-print to divert the overall situation in the country," Bari, one of the key architects of political developments during the post 1/11 period, told a New York-based Bengali weekly yesterday. Brig Bari claimed that everything he did as a director of the DGFI during the post 1/11 period was done on the instructions of his commanding officer. "I have been made responsible for everything in connection with 1/11. Is it believable? I have done everything on the order of my commanding officer and I am not responsible for those.

Truth will be revealed one day," said Bari, who was posted in Bangladesh embassy in Washington as defence attache at the fag end of the last CG government. He was recently declared a 'deserter' by the army following his refusal to return home despite repeated instructions from the foreign ministry. Brig Bari also claimed that he had no discussion with the former army chief general (Retd) Moyeen when he (Moyeen) was in the USA.

-The Independent