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Tarique Ahmed Siddique

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Tarique Siddique
Tarique in 2022
Defence and Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh
In office
25 January 2009 – 5 August 2024
Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byTBD
Military service
Allegiance Bangladesh
Branch/service Bangladesh Army
Bangladesh Ansar
Bangladesh Rifles
Years of service1975-2004
Rank Major General
UnitCorps of Engineers
Commands

Tarique Ahmed Siddique is a retired major general of the Bangladesh Army and the former defence and security adviser to the ex Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.[1][2]

Personal life

[edit]

Tarique Ahmed Siddique is the younger brother of Shafique Ahmed Siddique, the husband of Sheikh Rehana, the only surviving sister of Bangladeshi former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.[3]

Career

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Siddique was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers on 11 January, 1975. He served as platoon leader and Company 2 i/c in Savar Engineering Brigade until 1976, when he was promoted to lieutenant. Promoted to Captain in 1978, he served as GSO-3 (Engrs) of Rangpur Cantonment and company commander in Bandarban. He was promoted to major in 1983, he served as an adjutant of an Engineers Battalion in Alikadam till 1985 and as commander of a Bangladesh Rifles Battalion in Satkhira till 1988. Thereafter he served as Brigade Major of 21st Infantry Brigade in Jessore until 1989. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1989 when he served in the DGFI, from where he was removed in 1991. From 1991 to 1994, he served as staff officer in Bangladesh Ansar Headquarters and from 1994 to 1996, as deputy chief instructor in Engineer Centre and School of Military Engineering (ECSME). He was promoted to colonel in 1996 and served for a time as commanding officer of 9 Engrs Battalion in Savar, and thereafter in the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence until 1998, after which he was assigned to the Special Security Force.

He was promoted to brigadier in 1999. From 2000 to 2001, he served as deputy commander of 9th Infantry Division (Bangladesh)[4] From 17 November 2001 to 17 March 2002, he served as the engineer in chief of the Bangladesh Army.[5] He was promoted to major general in 2003 and served as senior instructor (army) in Defense Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) Mirpur.

After retirement from active service, he was appointed as chief of personal security to Sheikh Hasina when she was the opposition leader. He was present during 2004 Dhaka grenade attack which tried to assassinate Sheikh Hasina.[6][7] He was appointed to the post of adviser to the prime minister in 2009.[8] He advises the Prime Minister on anti-terrorism activities.[9] He inaugurated the Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange in 2016.[10] He is a graduate of Defence Services Command & Staff College (DSCSC) Bangladesh. He has done RCDS course from Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) London, United Kingdom.

Controversies

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During his role as the security advisor of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Siddique has been accused of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and financial scandals.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Allegations of abductions and enforced disappearances

Siddique was accused of abducting Tauhidul Islam Chowdhury, chief of the personal security team of BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, in 2018  and a case has been filed against him for abduction and illegal detention in 2024.[21][12][14][15][16] He was also held accountable for his alleged connections to the BDR carnage, and a lawsuit is underway regarding this on behalf of a victim's family.[22][23][24][25] Moreover due to his controversial role during the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement, a murder case has been filed against him with the Ashulia Police Station of Dhaka.[26]

In 2011, Mr Siddique defended the Rapid Action Battalion's widely controversial action of shooting a college student named Limon Hossain.[27] Limon, who was shot by RAB and subsequently lost his left leg, filed a complaint with the International Crimes Tribunal in 2024 accusing Tarique Siddique along with eight other individuals who are mostly former RAB personnel.[28][29][30][28]

In 2012, a report by Salah Choudhury published in openDemocracy raised allegations that Colonel Shahid Uddin Khan was engaged in influence peddling and corrupt practices with the backing of Siddique. According to the report, Khan has a number of business in which Siddique's wife and daughter are shareholders.[31] According to an Al Jazeera Investigative Unit report, published on 29 March 2019, Siddique used intelligence agencies to abduct employees of a business associate. The business associate, Colonel Shahid Uddin Khan, is currently in exile in the United Kingdom. The family members of men have no heard from them since their abduction. As defence advisor, he had control over the intelligence agencies and military of Bangladesh.[32]

It is alleged that Tarique Ahmed Siddique was one of the masterminds of the formation of the 'Aynaghar', an arbitrary detention and torture cell of the Awami League government.[33]

Corruption and financial misconduct

Tarique Siddique has been accused of embezzling billions of Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) through commission-based deals from various government projects.[34][11][35]

In April 2012, Tarique Ahmed Siddique was implicated in a corruption scandal involving the Bangladesh Railway. A vehicle carrying Tk 70 lakh in bribe money was intercepted at the Pilkhana BGB headquarters. Siddique, acting on behalf of ex prime minister Sheikh Hasina, ordered the release of the detained individuals and the return of the money, while ensuring the incident was kept from the public. [36]

Freezing of assets

After the fall of Sheikh Hasina regime, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered a freeze on the bank accounts of Tarique Siddique, his family members, and their associated entities under the Money Laundering Act in 2024.[37][38] The freeze came amid investigations into his alleged role in laundering public funds and illegal financial transactions.[39] The directive extended to the suspension of personal and corporate accounts, as well as locker access, underscoring the severity of the accusations.[40][41][42]

References

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  1. ^ "PM's security adviser pats armed forces, says military in Bangladesh gets 'nothing extra'". bdnews24.com. 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Singapore and Bangladesh reaffirm warm bilateral relations, discuss ways to deepen engagement". The Straits Times. 27 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Bangladesh PM advisors accused of massive corruption". The Lahore Times. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  4. ^ "PM's adviser sees criminal link of Limon, his father". The Daily Star. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  5. ^ "Military Engineer Services". mes.org.bd. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  6. ^ "A close shave". The Daily Star. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Minutes of MASSACRE". The Daily Star. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Advisor to the PM". The Daily Star. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  9. ^ "How to tackle the scourge of the world". The Asian Age. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Lightning deaths prevention to get priority in US, Bangladesh civil-military exercise". bdnews24.com. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Tarique Siddique embezzles billions through commission deals". Daily Sun. 15 September 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Abduction of Khaleda's security chief: Major Tarique, 9 others sued". Dhaka Tribune. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Limon sues Tarique Siddique, Ziaul Ahsan". New Age. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  14. ^ a b শেখ হাসিনার প্রতিরক্ষা উপদেষ্টা তারেক সিদ্দিকসহ ১০ জনের বিরুদ্ধে মামলা. VOA (in Bengali). 20 September 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  15. ^ a b শেখ হাসিনার সাবেক নিরাপত্তা উপদেষ্টা তারিক সিদ্দিকের নামে মামলা. bdnews24.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Tarique Siddique sued for plotting abduction, murder". Prothom Alo. BSS. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  17. ^ তারিক সিদ্দিকের বিরুদ্ধে তৌহিদুল গুমের মামলা. Ekattor (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  18. ^ তারেক সিদ্দিকীসহ ১০ জনের বিরুদ্ধে অপহরণ মামলা. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 19 September 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  19. ^ কারা গুমের সঙ্গে জড়িত ছিল জানালেন সালাহউদ্দিন. Jugantor (in Bengali). 15 October 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  20. ^ জিয়ার মুখে তারিক সিদ্দিকের নাম |. Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). 18 August 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  21. ^ "Tarique Siddique sued for plotting to abduct, kill". The Business Standard. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  22. ^ পিলখানা হত্যাকাণ্ডের পুরো ঘটনার মাস্টার মাইন্ড ছিলেন তারিক আহমেদ সিদ্দিক : ড. খান সুবায়েল বিন রফিক. Amader Shomoy (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  23. ^ "Families for lodging complaint with ICT to unearth truth of Pilkhana BDR carnage". New Age. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  24. ^ পিলখানা হত্যাকাণ্ডের মাস্টারমাইন্ড তারিক আহমেদ সিদ্দিক. The Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  25. ^ পিলখানা হত্যাকাণ্ডের পুনঃতদন্ত চেয়ে শেখ হাসিনার বিচার দাবি. JagoNews24 (in Bengali). 8 August 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  26. ^ আশুলিয়ায় হত্যার আসামি হাসিনা ও তারিক সিদ্দিক. Dainik Amader Shomoy (in Bengali). 21 October 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  27. ^ "PM's adviser sees criminal link of Limon, his father". The Daily Star. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Limon files case with ICT against eight ex-Rab men". The Daily Star. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  29. ^ "Limon files complaint against Tarique Siddique, eight others". Daily Sun. November 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  30. ^ "Limon files complaint against Tarique Siddiqui, 8 others at ICT". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  31. ^ Choudhury, Salah Uddin Shoaib (17 April 2012). "Bangladesh: journey of fear towards an uncertain future". openDemocracy. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  32. ^ "Exclusive: Bangladesh top security adviser accused of abductions". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  33. ^ "Families of enforced disappearance victims gather at Shaheed Minar, demand their return". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  34. ^ "Tarique Siddique makes billions through commission deals". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 15 September 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  35. ^ Hossain, Anowar (5 October 2024). "Obaidul Quader, Sheikh Helal, Tarique Siddique behind graft in road projects". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  36. ^ "BANGLADESH: Chief of army staff into the corruption business". Sri Lanka Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Bank accounts of Tarique Siddique, Sikder family frozen". New Age. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  38. ^ "Bank accounts of Hasina's defence adviser Gen Tarique Ahmed, family frozen". The Business Standard. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  39. ^ "Bangladesh/Italy/Russia : Regime change shakes up Russian and Italian business networks in Dacca". Intelligence Online. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  40. ^ "BFIU freezes bank accounts of Tarique Siddique". JustNewsBD. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  41. ^ সাবেক উপদেষ্টা জেনারেল তারিক আহমেদ সিদ্দিক ও তাঁর পরিবারের সদস্যদের ব্যাংক হিসাব স্থগিত. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 22 October 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  42. ^ সাবেক প্রধানমন্ত্রীর প্রতিরক্ষা উপদেষ্টার ব্যাংক হিসাব স্থগিত. Jugantor (in Bengali). 23 October 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
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