Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that an ordinance has been enacted to ensure the protection of those who led the July student mass uprising.
He added that a collective decision on the matter was also reflected in the July Charter, and the government remains committed to that principle.
He made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists at the Secretariat on Sunday (1 March).
The home minister noted that during the tenure of the interim government, the armed forces were deployed in the field to assist in maintaining law and order. He said any decision regarding the continued deployment of the military would be taken at the highest level of government following discussion.
“The armed forces themselves do not wish to remain deployed indefinitely,” he said, adding that a decision on their withdrawal would be made based on the prevailing law and order situation.
Regarding the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the Home Minister said that any decision on its dissolution or renaming would be taken in light of practical considerations. “The matter will be examined thoroughly before a decision is made,” he said.
He also confirmed that directives had been issued for the recovery of illegal firearms.