Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, has refuted allegations against several army officers, labeling them as baseless and motivated by ulterior motives. His remarks came during a press briefing on Monday following the inauguration of the 12th Annual General Meeting and Workshop of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centers (AAPTC) at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training (BIPSOT) in Rajendrapur, Gazipur.

General Shafiuddin criticized the report containing these allegations, suggesting it was published with malicious intent. He confidently stated that the army would disprove these allegations, drawing parallels to a similar incident in 2013 aimed at tarnishing the military's reputation. He expressed assurance that professionalism and responsibility in the UN arena would provide a proper response to these conspiracies.

At the AAPTC event, the Army Chief emphasized the importance of hosting the meeting in Bangladesh for the first time, viewing it as recognition of the country's contributions to global peacekeeping. He highlighted Bangladesh's leadership in both diplomatic and military spheres, mentioning the peace-centric development model presented by the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly in 2023 and its relevance to the current global security context.

The Army Chief praised the Bangladesh Armed Forces for their professionalism and success in UN peacekeeping missions, and lauded BIPSOT's role in providing high-quality training for peacekeepers. He expressed optimism that the four-day conference would result in fruitful discussions and decisions, fostering greater involvement of Asia-Pacific countries in global peace efforts.

"Not only the Bangladesh Army, our armed forces have performed duties in many missions around the world, in 43 missions. More than 6,000 peacekeepers are still on duty. Can you give an example of a mission where we violated human rights or our discipline deteriorated? In many regions of the world; not only in Africa but also in Asia and Europe. Have you ever been accused of this human rights violation?" he questioned.

The AAPTC serves as a vital platform for policymakers, researchers, peacekeepers, trainers, and other stakeholders involved in peacekeeping operations. The organization includes 24 member states and 2 observer countries. At the previous annual conference in 2023, Major General M. Nazim Parvez, Commandant of BIPSOT, was appointed President of AAPTC for one year.

The event was attended by senior UN officials, ambassadors, UN Resident Representatives, defense and military attachés, senior military and civilian officials, and approximately 50 foreign representatives from AAPTC member countries. Organizers highlighted the significance of the meeting in the context of an increasingly complex global security environment influenced by technological advancements and asymmetric threats.

The main objectives of this year's AAPTC meeting were to assess the evolving security landscape and outline future training frameworks to address emerging challenges. To date, 168 Bangladeshi army officers have been martyred in UN peacekeeping missions across 19 countries.