The visit comes at a critical moment, especially in the backdrop of the February 12 general election in which the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a thumping majority with the Jamaat-e-Islami taking on the role of opposition.

The Awami League was not allowed to contest as the erstwhile interim regime led by the then Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus had banned it under Bangladesh's Anti-Terrorism Law.

For Gen Zaman, who played a significant role in Bangladesh's politics since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024, the forthcoming US visit will also be crucial.

He stepped in to play a leading role following the US-backed clandestine regime change operation that unseated Hasina and paved the way for the Yunus-led dispensation's 18-month-long rule.

Gen Zaman, official information accessed by Northeast News shows, has been invited by Georgia Senator Sheikh Rahman (who represents District 5 in Georgia) to visit the state Capitol.

The Army chief will be accompanied by his spouse, Sarahnaz Kamalika Zaman, and three Brigadiers - Mohammad Serafuddin Khan, Nazmul Hasan and Mohammad Ehsanul Haq. An officer of the rank of captain will also be part of the team.

Suffice it to say that Gen Zaman previously visited the US and Canada in October 2024 (15th-25th) to discuss UN peacekeeping, bilateral defence cooperation, and capacity building.

The visit focused on increasing military ties, with the Army actively seeking to strengthen relations with the US and its allies during his tenure. The 11-day trip included meetings with high-ranking military and civilian officials in the US and at the UN headquarters.

There was a second opportunity for Gen Zaman to visit Hawaii, in the US, in 2025, but this was cancelled as a result of intra-Army and governmental wranglings. At that time, Yunus had made at least two concerted attempts to constrain the functioning of Gen Zaman, who was told not to proceed for a five-day visit to the US that was scheduled to begin on May 11.

Gen Zaman's hosts in the US, the organisers of the Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium and Exposition-25, had also conveyed their regrets to him. This four-day conference was scheduled to start on May 11 at Honolulu in Hawaii.

Gen Zaman was sounded out verbally by Yunus not to proceed for the US tour.

: US military interests in Bangladesh: What next?

While Gen Zaman, who was to take a Turkish Airlines flight to the US, remained grounded, Principal Staff Officer in the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Kamrul Hassan met American Embassy Charge d'Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson around 7:35 pm on May 11. This meeting, which was held at the US Embassy in Dhaka's Baridhara neighbourhood, had lasted nearly two hours.