Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh)
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Chief of Army Staff | |
---|---|
সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান | |
since 23 June 2024 | |
Bangladesh Army | |
Type | Bangladesh Army service chief |
Abbreviation | CAS |
Member of | National Committee on Security Affairs |
Reports to | President Chief Adviser Minister of Defence |
Residence | Sena Bhaban, Dhaka Cantonment |
Seat | Dhaka Cantonment |
Appointer | The Prime Minister with President advice and consent |
Term length | 3 years, or at the age of 60, whichever is earlier. |
Constituting instrument | The Army Act, 1952 of (Act No. XXXIX OF 1952) |
Formation | 12 April 1971 |
First holder | General M. A. G. Osmani (Commander-in-chief) Major General Mohammad Abdur Rab (Chief of staff) |
Unofficial names | Army Chief |
Deputy | Chief of the General Staff |
Salary | ৳125631 (US$1,000) per month ৳1507572 (US$13,000) per year (incl. allowances) |
Website | army.mil.bd |
Chief of Army Staff (CAS) (Bengali: সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান, romanized: Sēnābāhinī pradhāna) of Bangladesh Army, also known as Army Chief, is the commander of the Bangladesh Army.[1][2][3] The Chief of Army staff has been a four-star rank since 2007. Prior to that, the Chief of Army Staff was a three-star rank from 1978 to 2007. During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, Maj. Gen. M. A. Rab (then Lt Col) was the Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Army under the combined command of Bangladesh Forces which served as the origins of Bangladesh Armed Forces and General M. A. G. Osmani was the Commander-in-Chief.[4] After the War of Independence, Bangladesh Army was officially reverted to the Ministry of Defense in 1972, and Maj. Gen. K. M. Shafiullah was appointed the Chief of Army Staff.[5] The incumbent Chief of Army Staff is General Waker-uz-Zaman.[6][7]
The office of the Chief of Army Staff functions from the Army Headquarters, which is located in the Dhaka Cantonment.[8]
History
[edit]The post traces its roots back to the Commander-in-Chief of the Mukti Bahini during the Liberation War of Bangladesh and it was held by Colonel (later General) MAG Osmani. On 25 March 1971, after long negotiations and actions failed to bring desired results, Pakistan Army launched a military crackdown on its own citizens, Pakistani military planners conducted this through Operation Searchlight, which spread across the country in main centers. During the first watch of 26 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh.[9][10][11] Another declaration was read out on 27 March 1971, by then Major Ziaur Rahman, on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman over radio at Kalurghat Radio Stn., Chittagong City.[12] As a result, in March 1971, many Bengali soldiers in the Pakistan Army revolted and joined the guerilla movement, Bangladesh Forces. Colonel (later General) Mohd. Ataul Goni Osmani served as the Commander-in-Chief and Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) Mohd. Abdur Rab as the Chief of Staff.[4]
Bangladesh Army came into being officially in January, 1972. In April 1972, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman then decided to change the commanding posts of the three services which was combined and commanded by General M. A. G. Osmani. On 7 April 1972, Maj. Gen. K M Shafiullah, was made the chief of army staff.[13][14]
Chief of Army Staff's rank was upgraded to lieutenant-general in 1978 and then to four-star general in 2007.[15][16]
Appointees
[edit]The following table chronicles the appointees, to the office of the Chief of Army Staff or its preceding positions since the liberation war of Bangladesh.[17][18][19]
Commander-in-Chief, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)
[edit]No. | Picture | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | M. A. G. Osmani psc (1918–1984) | General12 April 1971 | 6 April 1972 | 360 days | Army Service Corps[20] |
Chief of staff, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)
[edit]No. | Picture | Chief of staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Major General Mohammad Abdur Rab Bir Uttom (1919–1975) | 12 April 1971 | 6 April 1972 | 360 days | Army Service Corps |
Chiefs of Army staff (1971–present)
[edit]Source:[1]
No. | Picture | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | General M. A. G. Osmani psc (1918–1984) | 12 April 1971 | 6 April 1972 | 1 year, 24 days | Army Service Corps[20] | |
2 | Kazi Muhammad Shafiullah Bir Uttom, psc (born 1934) | Major general7 April 1972 | 25 August 1975 | 3 years, 140 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
3 | Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | Major general25 August 1975 | 3 November 1975 | 70 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
- | Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, psc (1937–1975) | Major general3 November 1975 | 7 November 1975 † | 4 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
(3) | Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | Lieutenant general7 November 1975 | 28 April 1978 | 2 years, 172 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
4 | Hussain Muhammad Ershad ndc, psc (1930–2019) | Lieutenant general29 April 1978 | 30 August 1986 | 8 years, 123 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
5 | Atiqur Rahman G+ (1931–2023) | Lieutenant general31 August 1986 | 30 August 1990 | 3 years, 364 days | Regiment of Artillery | |
6 | Nuruddin Khan psc (born 1940) | Lieutenant general31 August 1990 | 30 August 1994 | 3 years, 364 days | Corps of Engineers | |
7 | Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim Bir Bikrom, psc (born 1943) | Lieutenant general31 August 1994 | 19 May 1996 | 1 year, 262 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
8 | Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman psc | Lieutenant general27 May 1996 | 23 December 1997 | 1 year, 210 days | Corps of Engineers | |
9 | Mustafizur Rahman Bir Bikrom, ndc, psc, C (1941–2008) | General24 December 1997 | 23 December 2000 | 2 years, 365 days | Corps of Engineers | |
10 | Mohammed Harun-Ar-Rashid Bir Protik, rcds, psc (born 1948) | Lieutenant general24 December 2000 | 15 June 2002 | 1 year, 173 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
11 | Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury awc, psc (born 1948) | Lieutenant general16 June 2002 | 15 June 2005 | 2 years, 364 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
12 | Moeen Uddin Ahmed ndc, psc (born 1953) | General16 June 2005 | 15 June 2009 | 3 years, 364 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
13 | Mohammed Abdul Mubeen ndc, psc (born 1957) | General16 June 2009 | 25 June 2012 | 3 years, 9 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
14 | Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan psc (born 1957) | General26 June 2012 | 25 June 2015 | 2 years, 364 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
15 | Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Haq ndc, psc (born 1958) | General26 June 2015 | 25 June 2018 | 2 years, 364 days | Armoured Corps | |
16 | Aziz Ahmed SBP, BSP, BGBM, PBGM, BGBMS, psc, G (born 1961) | General25 June 2018 | 24 June 2021 | 2 years, 364 days | Regiment of Artillery | |
17 | SM Shafiuddin Ahmed SBP, OSP, ndu, psc, PhD (born 1963) | General24 June 2021 | 23 June 2024 | 2 years, 365 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
18 | Waker-uz-Zaman OSP, SGP, psc (born 1966) | General23 June 2024 | Incumbent | 127 days | East Bengal Regiment |
See also
[edit]- Chief of Air Staff (Bangladesh)
- Chief of Naval Staff (Bangladesh)
- List of serving generals of the Bangladesh Army
- Lieutenant General (Bangladesh)
- Military ranks of Bangladesh
- Awards and decorations of the Bangladesh Armed Forces
References
[edit]- ^ a b "List of Chief of Army Staff". Bangladesh Army. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024.
- ^ "Major General Moeen U Ahmed new Army Chief". bdnews24.com. 5 June 2005. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "Bangladesh appoints Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan as new Army Chief". First Post. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Stripping ex-army chief Mustafizur Rahman of rank illegal: HC". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "Shafiullah: The blunted General". 15 August 2023.
- ^ "Chief of Army Staff - Bangladesh Army". Bangladesh Army.
- ^ "General Waker-Uz-Zaman takes charge as Chief of Army Staff". The Financial Express. 23 June 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Gen Mubeen takes over army". The Daily Star. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- ^ "Bangabandhu Shadhinota Ghoshonar Telegraphic Barta". BDNews24. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ সংযোজনস্বাধীনতার ঘোষণা: বেলাল মোহাম্মদের সাক্ষাৎকার. bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "March 27, 1971: Zia makes radio announcement on independence". The Daily Star. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ "TIMELINE". The Daily Star (newspaper). 15 August 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "Shafiullah new chairman of sector commanders forum". 19 September 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ Mascarenhas, Anthony. Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. Hodder and Stoughton.
- ^ "Bangladesh Armed Forces elite promoted". Dawn. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "Mukti Bahini". Banglapedia.
- ^ "O General, My General". The Daily Star. 1 September 2016.
- ^ "Bir Uttam Abdur Rab's 46th death anniversary Sunday". The Business Standard. 13 November 2021.
- ^ a b Indian Army List for July 1941. Government of India Press. 1941. p. 1000.
External links
[edit]- Media related to Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh) at Wikimedia Commons