Mustafizur Rahman (20 January 1941 – 3 August 2008)[1] was a Bangladeshi Army general who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army from December 1997 until 23 December 2000.[2]
Mustafizur Rahman | |
|---|---|
| মুস্তাফিজুর রহমান | |
| 9th Chief of Army Staff | |
| In office 24 December 1997 – 23 December 2000 | |
| President | Shahabuddin Ahmed |
| Prime Minister | Sheikh Hasina |
| Preceded by | Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman |
| Succeeded by | M Harun-Ar-Rashid |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 January 1941 Rangpur, Bengal, British India |
| Died | 3 August 2008 (aged 67) Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Relations | Waker-uz-Zaman (Son-in-law) |
| Awards |  Bir Bikrom |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan (before 1971) Bangladesh |
| Branch/service |  Pakistan Air Force Pakistan Army Bangladesh Army |
| Years of service | 1962-2000 |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit | Corps of Engineers |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | Bangladesh Liberation War |
Early life
editMustafizur Rahman was born in Rangpur, Bengal Province of British India.[3] He was an uncle of Sheikh Hasina.[4]
Career
editGeneral Mustafiz graduated BSc in Physics from Ahsanullah University (Presently, Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology) in 1962. He initially joined the Pakistan Air Force in 1962 as an Airman in the Air Traffic Control trade. He was commissioned in the Pakistan Army through the Army War Course program for enlisted personnel in 1966 in the Corps of Engineers as Second Lieutenant from Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. From 1966 to 1969 he served as Lieutenant in Sapper unit in Chilas. The then Captain Mustafiz fought valiantly in Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971 as sub sector Commander in Jessore sector. During Liberation War he was wounded in November 1971 and received gallantry award "Bir Bikrom" by the Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh. He was promoted to the rank of Major during the liberation war. After the liberation war the General served in many capacities of Bangladesh Army. During his tenure as Major he served in 55 Infantry Division, Jessore as Brigade Major and then as Garrison Engineer (GE) in Dhaka Cantonment. In 1973 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In this rank he served as Commander Military Engineering Services (CMES) appointment both in Dhaka and Bogura Cantonment, as Chief Instructor in Engineer Centre and School of Military Engineering (EC&SME), Dayarampur and as Commanding Officer (CO) he commanded 8 Engineer Battalion in Syedpur from 1975 to 1979. He successfully completed his Defence Services Command and Staff College in 1979. Afterwards, as a Colonel he was a Director of Army Headquarters (AHQ), General Staff Branch (GS Br). In the rank of Brigadier he was appointed as Military Attaché, Turkey in Deputation (1982-1984), then he was Managing Director (MD) of Mukti Joddha Kollan Trust in 1985, after that he was again posted to AHQ as Director Engineer in 1986, Commanded 101 Infantry Brigade, Cumilla as Brigade Commander from 1986 to 1989, he also served as Director Operation and Plan Directorate, Supreme Command Headquarters (Presently, Armed Forces Division) from 1989 to 1990. He completed his National Defence Course from India in the year of 1991. In 1992 he was promoted to the rank of Major General and posted to AHQ as Master General of Ordnance (MGO). In this rank he was appointed as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 55 Infantry Division, Jessore from 1992 to 1995, then he served Engineer in Chief (E in C), AHQ in 1996 and afterwards he was posted as Director General (DG) of National Security Intelligence (NSI) in 1997. He served as Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army from December 1997- December 2000. He was the first General of Bangladesh Army
Controversy
editMustafizur Rahman was one of the accused in a corruption case regarding the procurement of MiG-29 for Bangladesh Air Force along with other government officials including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ "Gen Mustafiz passes away". The Daily Star. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "Bangladesh names new army chief". Gulf News. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ Syedur Rahman (2010). Historical dictionary of Bangladesh (4th ed.). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 242. ISBN 978-0810874534.
- ^ "Former army chief Mustafiz is buried". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Ex-army chief gets bail in MiG-29 case". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
- ^ "Ex-Bangladesh PM faces court action". BBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2016.