Moinul Islam Chowdhury, Chairman of the Disappearance Commission, has claimed that during the Awami League's tenure, anti-terrorism campaigns were used as a political tool to consolidate power and gain international legitimacy. He revealed that of the 1,850 complaints received by the commission, evidence has been found for 253 enforced disappearances.

He alleged that law enforcement agencies became politically influenced and that a culture of torture and secret detention was institutionalized—even to the extent of handing over Bangladeshi citizens to Indian forces.