Chief Adviser’s Office made the decision to resolve year-long dispute
The Chief Adviser's Office has taken a decision to resolve the year-long dispute between Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and Aviation Security (AVSEC) over security duties inside Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.
At a meeting held at the Chief Adviser's Office on Wednesday, it was decided that APBn will resume policing duties inside the Dhaka airport terminal building as soon as possible.
The meeting also decided that the Bangladesh Air Force task force, now deployed at the airport, will return to its parent organisation as soon as their task is over, according to meeting notes on airport security and policing.
The Daily Star obtained a copy of the meeting notes.
The meeting was chaired by Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy to the chief adviser on international affairs. Among others, Civil Aviation Ministry Adviser SK Bashir Uddin, Civil Aviation Secretary Nasreen Jahan, Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam, Chief Adviser's Office Secretary M Saifullah Panna, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq, Additional Secretary (Home) Faisal Ahmed, CAAB Member (Security) Air Cdre Md Asif Iqbal, and Group Captain M Kamrul Islam, director, CW&IT, Air Headquarters, were present.
In his opening remarks, Lutfey Siddiqi underscored the importance of inter-agency cooperation, noting that all government departments are working towards the same goal.
The Civil Aviation secretary and the CAAB chairman gave separate power point presentations on CAAB's functions and the current security and policing arrangements at airports.
Inspector general of police informed the meeting that prevention and detection of crime is legally the responsibility of the police, and no other agency is authorised to carry out those duties.
After conversation, the meeting took six decisions which include that all agencies operating within airports will function under Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), ensuring unified command, regulation and control.
The meeting also decided that APBn and AVSEC will carry out their respective responsibilities as mandated.
IGP and the CAAB chairman will engage in regular discussions to minimise operational challenges.
It was also decided that weekly security meetings must be held at every airport.
For long-term reforms, the Civil Aviation Ministry may recommend ways to restructure CAAB to separate its roles as operator and regulator.
For almost a year, APBn and the Air Force-led AVSEC had been locked in a dispute over security responsibilities inside the airport.
After the change of government in August 2024, many Ansar personnel left their posts, prompting the temporary deployment of Air Force members. At the same time, APBn was barred from duty inside the terminal.
Later, APBn alleged that AVSEC had removed materials from its airport office, prompting the battalion to file a general diary with the Airport Police Station.
