Khaleda Zia's regime: Tarique ordered police recruitment based on party considerations, PM office took the graft money

The BNP-Jamaat alliance government recruited a total of 26, 259 policemen in the five years from 2001 to 2006. Out of this, more than 5,000 were Chhatra Dal-Shibir leaders and relatives of BNP-Jamaat MPs and ministers. In most of the remaining 21,000 recruitments were completed in exchange for money. The then Minister of State for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar confessed it during the interrogation by the joint forces. Babar said Tarique Rahman directly instructed the party appointment and the then-PM Khaleda Zia’s assignment officer Dr Firoz Mahmud Iqbal took large sums of money for most of the recruitment.

The Prothom Alo published the facts on June 5, 2007 during the caretaker government. According to Babar, Tarique Rahman recruited educated Chhatra Dal leaders and activists in the police. In addition, Khaleda’s assignment officer Firoz Mahmud Iqbal and Rajshahi MP Kabir Hossain's son-in-law Bakul were involved in anomalies in most of the recruitment.

During the caretaker government, IGP Noor Mohammad said, the issue of recruitment in the police was an open secret during the coalition government. While some people were recruited on party considerations, most were recruited in exchange for money. This issue was once placed at the annual Police Crime Conference.

In 2005, 830 sub-inspectors were appointed to the police through short-term training. It was then alleged that the training period was reduced to ensure the appointment of the relatives of Chhatra Dal-Shibir and BNP-Jamaat leaders. In addition, a total of 26,259 people were appointed from police constable to ASP posts during the tenure of the coalition government, of which 13,519 posts were newly created.