Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh)
Chief of Army Staff | |
---|---|
সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান | |
Bangladesh Army | |
Type | Bangladesh Army service chief |
Abbreviation | CAS |
Residence | Shena Bhaban |
Seat | Army Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment |
Appointer | 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) |
Precursor | Commander-in-chief of Mukti Bahini |
Formation | 12 April 1971 |
First holder | General M. A. G. Osmani |
Website | www.army.mil.bd |
Chief of Army Staff (CAS) (Bengali: সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান, romanized: Senabahini Prodhan) of Bangladesh Army, also known as Army Chief, is the highest-ranking officer of the Bangladesh Army.[1][2] The Chief of Army staff has been a four-star rank since 2007. Maj. Gen. M. A. Rab (the then Lt Col) was the Chief of Staff Army under the combined command of Bangladesh Forces which served as the origins of Bangladesh Armed Forces.[3] 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. The current Chief of Army Staff is Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed
The office of the Chief of Army Staff functions from the Army Headquarters, which is located in the Dhaka Cantonment.[4]
History[]
The Bangladesh Army traced its roots back to the East Bengal Regiment composed solely of youths from East Bengal, would be East Pakistan. However, on 25 March 1971, Pakistan Armed Forces led a militant crackdown on the Bengali civilians through Operation Searchlight and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh. As a result, in March 1971, many Bengali soldiers in the Pakistan Army revolted and joined the guerilla movement, Mukti Bahini also known as Bangladesh Forces. Colonel Mohd. Ataul Goni Osmani served as the Commander-in-Chief and Lieutenant colonel Mohd. Abdur Rab as the Chief of Staff.[3]
Bangladesh Army came into being officially in January, 1972. In April, 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, Maj. Gen. K M Shafiullah, was made the chief of army staff.[5][6]
Chief of Army Staff's rank was upgraded to lieutenant-general in 1978 and then to four star general in 2007.[7][8]
Appointees[]
The following table chronicles the appointees to the office of the Chief of Army Staff or its preceding positions since the Bangladesh Liberation War. Ranks and honours are as at the completion of their tenure:
Commander-in-Chief, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)[]
No. | Picture | Commander-in-Chief | 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 | 360 days | Royal Indian Army Service Corps[clarification needed] |
Chief of staff, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)[]
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 |
Chiefs of Army staff (1972–present)[]
No. | Picture | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kazi Muhammad Shafiullah Bir Uttom, psc (born 1934) | Major general7 April 1972 | 25 August 1975 | 3 years, 140 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
2 | Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | Major general25 August 1975 | 3 November 1975 | 70 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
3 | Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, psc (1937–1975) | Major general3 November 1975 | 7 November 1975 † | 4 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
(2) | Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | Lieutenant general7 November 1975 | 28 April 1978 | 2 years, 172 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
4 | Hussain Mohammad Ershad ndc, psc (1930–2019) | Lieutenant general29 April 1978 | 30 August 1986 | 8 years, 123 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
5 | Atiqur Rahman G+ (born 1931) | Lieutenant general31 August 1986 | 30 August 1990 | 3 years, 364 days | Regiment of Artillery | |
6 | Nuruddin Khan psc | Lieutenant general31 August 1990 | 30 August 1994 | 3 years, 364 days | Corps of Engineers | |
7 | Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim Bir Bikrom, psc (born 1946) | 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, 217 days | Corps of Engineers | |
9 | Mustafizur Rahman Bir Bikrom, ndc, psc, C (1941–2008) | Lieutenant general24 December 1997 | 23 December 2000 | 2 years, 365 days | Corps of Engineers | |
10 | Mohammed Harun-Ar-Rashid Bir Protik, rcds, psc | 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 | Frontier Force 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 1955) | General16 June 2009 | 25 June 2012 | 3 years, 9 days | East Bengal Regiment | |
14 | Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan psc (born 1955) | 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, 363 days | Regiment of Artillery | |
17 | SM Shafiuddin Ahmed SBP, OSP, ndu, psc, PhD (born 1963) | General24 June 2021 | Incumbent | 222 days | East Bengal Regiment |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "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. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Stripping ex-army chief Mustafizur Rahman of rank illegal: HC". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "Gen Mubeen takes over army". The Daily Star. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- ^ "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.
External links[]
- Media related to Chief of the Army Staff (Bangladesh) at Wikimedia Commons
- Chiefs of Army Staff, Bangladesh
- Army chiefs of staff