BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR

Bangladesh Liberation War

The Bangladesh Liberation War (Bengali: Muktijuddho) was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh.
The war broke out on 26 March 1971 as army units directed by West Pakistan launched a military operation in East Pakistan against Bengali civilians, students, intelligentsia, and armed personnel who were demanding separation of the East from West Pakistan. Bengali military, paramilitary, and civilians formed the Mukti Bahini (Bengali: "Liberation Army") and used guerrilla warfare tactics to fight against the West Pakistan army. India provided economic, military and diplomatic support to the Mukti Bahini rebels, leading Pakistan to launch Operation Chengiz Khan, a pre-emptive attack on the western border of India which started the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
On 16 December 1971, the allied forces of the Indian army and the Mukti Bahini defeated the West Pakistani forces deployed in the East. The resulting surrender was the largest in number of prisoners of war since World War II.

Contents

  • 1 Background
    • 1.1 East Pakistani grievances
      • 1.1.1 Economic disparities
      • 1.1.2 Political differences
      • 1.1.3 Military imbalance
      • 1.1.4 Language controversy
      • 1.1.5 Response to the 1970 cyclone
    • 1.2 Operation Searchlight
    • 1.3 Declaration of independence
  • 2 Liberation war
    • 2.1 March to June
    • 2.2 June – September
    • 2.3 October – December
  • 3 Indian involvement
    • 3.1 Pakistani response
    • 3.2 The air and naval war
  • 4 Surrender and aftermath
    • 4.1 Reaction in West Pakistan to the war
  • 5 Atrocities
  • 6 Foreign reaction
    • 6.1 USA and USSR
    • 6.2 China
    • 6.3 United Nations
  • 7 Footnotes
  • 8 References
  • 9 Further reading
  • 11 External links


Background

In August 1947, the Partition of British India gave birth to two new states; a secular state named India and an Islamic state named Pakistan. But Pakistan comprised two geographically and culturally separate areas to the east and the west of India. The western zone was popularly (and for a period of time, also officially) termed West Pakistan and the eastern zone (modern-day Bangladesh) was initially termed East Bengal and later, East Pakistan. Although the population of the two zones was close to equal, political power was concentrated in West Pakistan and it was widely perceived that East Pakistan was being exploited economically, leading to many grievances.
On 25 March 1971, rising political discontent and cultural nationalism in East Pakistan was met by brutal suppressive force from the ruling elite of the West Pakistan establishment in what came to be termed Operation Searchlight.
The violent crackdown by West Pakistan forces led to East Pakistan declaring its independence as the state of Bangladesh and to the start of civil war. The war led to a sea of refugees (estimated at the time to be about 10 million) flooding into the eastern provinces of India. Facing a mounting humanitarian and economic crisis, India started actively aiding and organizing the Bangladeshi resistance army known as the Mukti Bahini.

East Pakistani grievances

Economic disparities

Although East Pakistan had a larger population, West Pakistan dominated the divided country politically and received more money from the common budget.

Year
Spending on West Pakistan (in crores of Pakistani rupees)
Spending on East Pakistan (in crores of Pakistani rupees)
Amount spent on East as percentage of West
1950–55
1,129
524
46.4
1955–60
1,655
524
31.7
1960–65
3,355
1,404
41.8
1965–70
5,195
2,141
41.2
Total
11,334
4,593
40.5
Source: Reports of the Advisory Panels for the Fourth Five Year Plan 1970–75, Vol. I, published by the planning commission of Pakistan (Quick reference: crore = 107, or 10 million)

Political differences

Although East Pakistan accounted for a slight majority of the country's population, political power remained firmly in the hands of West Pakistanis. Since a straightforward system of representation based on population would have concentrated political power in East Pakistan, the West Pakistani establishment came up with the "One Unit" scheme, where all of West Pakistan was considered one province. This was solely to counterbalance the East wing's votes.
After the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan's first prime minister, in 1951, political power began to be devolved to the President of Pakistan, and eventually, the military. The nominal elected chief executive, the Prime Minister, was frequently sacked by the establishment, acting through the President.
East Pakistanis noticed that whenever one of them, such as Khawaja Nazimuddin, Muhammad Ali Bogra, or Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, he were swiftly deposed by the largely West Pakistani establishment. The military dictatorships of Ayub Khan (27 October 1958 – 25 March 1969) and Yahya Khan (25 March 1969 – 20 December 1971), both West Pakistanis, only heightened such feelings.
The situation reached a climax when in 1970 the Awami League, the largest East Pakistani political party, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in the national elections. The party won 167 of the 169 seats allotted to East Pakistan, and thus a majority of the 313 seats in the National Assembly. This gave the Awami League the constitutional right to form a government. However, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (a Sindhi), the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, refused to allow Rahman to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Instead, he proposed the idea of having two Prime Ministers, one for each wing. The proposal elicited outrage in the east wing, already chafing under the other constitutional innovation, the "one unit scheme". Bhutto also refused to accept Rahman's Six Points. On 3 March 1971, the two leaders of the two wings along with the President General Yahya Khan met in Dhaka to decide the fate of the country. Talks failed. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called for a nationwide strike.
On 7 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (soon to be the prime minister) delivered a speech at the Racecourse Ground (now called the Suhrawardy Udyan). In this speech he mentioned a further four-point condition to consider the National Assembly Meeting on 25 March:
  1. The immediate lifting of martial law.
  2. Immediate withdrawal of all military personnel to their barracks.
  3. An inquiry into the loss of life.
  4. Immediate transfer of power to the elected representative of the people before the assembly meeting 25 March.
He urged "his people" to turn every house into a fort of resistance. He closed his speech saying, "Our struggle is for our freedom. Our struggle is for our independence." This speech is considered the main event that inspired the nation to fight for its independence. General Tikka Khan was flown in to Dhaka to become Governor of East Bengal. East-Pakistani judges, including Justice Siddique, refused to swear him in.
Between 10 and 13 March, Pakistan International Airlines cancelled all their international routes to urgently fly "Government Passengers" to Dhaka. These "Government Passengers" were almost all Pakistani soldiers in civilian dress. MV Swat, a ship of the Pakistani Navy, carrying ammunition and soldiers, was harboured in Chittagong Port and the Bengali workers and sailors at the port refused to unload the ship. A unit of East Pakistan Rifles refused to obey commands to fire on Bengali demonstrators, beginning a mutiny of Bengali soldiers.

Military imbalance

Bengalis were underrepresented in the Pakistan military. Officers of Bengali origin in the different wings of the armed forces made up just 5% of overall force by 1965; of these, only a few were in command positions, with the majority in technical or administrative posts. West Pakistanis believed that Bengalis were not "martially inclined" unlike Pashtuns and Punjabis; the "martial races" notion was dismissed as ridiculous and humiliating by Bengalis. Moreover, despite huge defence spending, East Pakistan received none of the benefits, such as contracts, purchasing and military support jobs. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 over Kashmir also highlighted the sense of military insecurity among Bengalis as only an under-strength infantry division and 15 combat aircraft without tank support were in East Pakistan to thwart any Indian retaliations during the conflict.

Language controversy

In 1948, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan's first Governor-General, declared in Dhaka (then usually spelled Dacca in English) that "Urdu, and only Urdu" would be the common language for all of Pakistan. This proved highly controversial, since Urdu was a language that was only spoken in the West by Muhajirs and in the East by Biharis, although the Urdu language had been promoted as the lingua franca of Indian Muslims by political and religious leaders such as Sir Khwaja Salimullah, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Nawab Viqar-ul-Mulk and Maulvi Abdul Haq. The language was considered a vital element of the Islamic culture for Indian Muslims; Hindi and the Devanagari script were seen as fundamentals of Hindu culture. The majority groups in West Pakistan spoke Punjabi, while the Bengali language was spoken by the vast majority of East Pakistanis. The language controversy eventually reached a point where East Pakistan revolted while the other part of Pakistan remain calm even though Punjabi was spoken by the majority groups of West Pakistan. Several students and civilians lost their lives in a police crackdown on 21 February 1952. The day is revered in Bangladesh and in West Bengal as the Language Martyrs' Day. Later, in memory of the 1952 killings, UNESCO declared 21 February as the International Mother Language Day in 1999.
In West Pakistan, the movement was seen as a sectional uprising against Pakistani national interests and the founding ideology of Pakistan, the Two-Nation Theory. West Pakistani politicians considered Urdu a product of Indian Islamic culture, as Ayub Khan said, as late as 1967, "East Bengalis... still are under considerable Hindu culture and influence." But, the deaths led to bitter feelings among East Pakistanis, and they were a major factor in the push for independence.

Response to the 1970 cyclone

The 1970 Bhola cyclone made landfall on the East Pakistan coastline during the evening of 12 November, around the same time as a local high tide, killing an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people. Though the exact death toll is not known, it is considered the deadliest tropical cyclone on record. A week after the landfall, President Khan conceded that his government had made "slips" and "mistakes" in its handling of the relief efforts due to a lack of understanding of the magnitude of the disaster.
A statement released by eleven political leaders in East Pakistan ten days after the cyclone hit charged the government with "gross neglect, callous and utter indifference". They also accused the president of playing down the magnitude of the problem in news coverage. On 19 November, students held a march in Dhaka protesting the slowness of the government response. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani addressed a rally of 50,000 people on 24 November, where he accused the president of inefficiency and demanded his resignation.
As the conflict between East and West Pakistan developed in March, the Dhaka offices of the two government organisations directly involved in relief efforts were closed for at least two weeks, first by a general strike and then by a ban on government work in East Pakistan by the Awami League. With this increase in tension, foreign personnel were evacuated over fears of violence. Relief work continued in the field, but long-term planning was curtailed. This conflict widened into the Bangladesh Liberation War in December and concluded with the creation of Bangladesh. This is one of the first times that a natural event helped to trigger a civil war.

Operation Searchlight

A planned military pacification carried out by the Pakistan Army — codenamed Operation Searchlight — started on 25 March to curb the Bengali nationalist movement by taking control of the major cities on 26 March, and then eliminating all opposition, political or military, within one month. Before the beginning of the operation, all foreign journalists were systematically deported from East Pakistan.
The main phase of Operation Searchlight ended with the fall of the last major town in Bengali hands in mid-May. The operation also began the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. These systematic killings served only to enrage the Bengalis, which ultimately resulted in the secession of East Pakistan later in the same year. The international media and reference books in English have published casualty figures which vary greatly, from 5,000–35,000 in Dhaka, and 200,000–3,000,000 for Bangladesh as a whole.

According to the Asia Times,
At a meeting of the military top brass, Yahya Khan declared: "Kill 3 million of them and the rest will eat out of our hands." Accordingly, on the night of 25 March, the Pakistani Army launched Operation Searchlight to "crush" Bengali resistance in which Bengali members of military services were disarmed and killed, students and the intelligentsia systematically liquidated and able-bodied Bengali males just picked up and gunned down.
Although the violence focused on the provincial capital, Dhaka, it also affected all parts of East Pakistan. Residential halls of the University of Dhaka were particularly targeted. The only Hindu residential hall — the Jagannath Hall — was destroyed by the Pakistani armed forces, and an estimated 600 to 700 of its residents were murdered. The Pakistani army denies any cold blooded killings at the university, though the Hamood-ur-Rehman commission in Pakistan concluded that overwhelming force was used at the university. This fact and the massacre at Jagannath Hall and nearby student dormitories of Dhaka University are corroborated by a videotape secretly filmed by Prof. Nurul Ullah of the East Pakistan Engineering University, whose residence was directly opposite the student dormitories.
Hindu areas suffered particularly heavy blows. By midnight, Dhaka was burning, especially the Hindu dominated eastern part of the city. Time magazine reported on 2 August 1971, "The Hindus, who account for three-fourths of the refugees and a majority of the dead, have borne the brunt of the Pakistani military hatred."
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested by the Pakistani Army. Yahya Khan appointed Brigadier (later General) Rahimuddin Khan to preside over a special tribunal prosecuting Mujib with multiple charges. The tribunal's sentence was never made public, but Yahya caused the verdict to be held in abeyance in any case. Other Awami League leaders were arrested as well, while a few fled Dhaka to avoid arrest. The Awami League was banned by General Yahya Khan.

Declaration of independence

The violence unleashed by the Pakistani forces on 25 March 1971, proved the last straw to the efforts to negotiate a settlement. Following these outrages, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman signed an official declaration that read:
Today Bangladesh is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night, West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between E.P.R. and Police on the one hand and the armed forces of Pakistan on the other, are going on. The Bengalis are fighting the enemy with great courage for an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla.
Sheikh Mujib also called upon the people to resist the occupation forces through a radio message. Mujib was arrested on the night of 25–26 March 1971 at about 1:30 a.m. (as per Radio Pakistan’s news on 29 March 1971).
A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration reached some students in Chittagong. The message was translated to Bangla by Dr. Manjula Anwar. The students failed to secure permission from higher authorities to broadcast the message from the nearby Agrabad Station of Radio Pakistan. They crossed Kalurghat Bridge into an area controlled by an East Bengal Regiment under Major Ziaur Rahman. Bengali soldiers guarded the station as engineers prepared for transmission. At 19:45 hrs on 27 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast the announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur. On 28 March Major Ziaur Rahman made another announcement,which was as follows:
This is Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken command as the temporary Head of the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our Motherland. By the grace of Allah, victory is ours. Joy Bangla. Audio of Zia's announcement (interview – Belal Mohammed)
The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited. The message was picked up by a Japanese ship in Bay of Bengal. It was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia and later by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
M A Hannan, an Awami League leader from Chittagong, is said to have made the first announcement of the declaration of independence over the radio on 26 March 1971. There is controversy now as to when Major Zia gave his speech. BNP sources maintain that it was 26 March, and there was no message regarding declaration of independence from Mujibur Rahman. Pakistani sources, like Siddiq Salik in Witness to Surrender had written that he heard about Mujibor Rahman's message on the Radio while Operation Searchlight was going on, and Maj. Gen. Hakeem A. Qureshi in his book The 1971 Indo-Pak War: A Soldier's Narrative, gives the date of Zia's speech as 27 March 1971.
26 March 1971 is considered the official Independence Day of Bangladesh, and the name Bangladesh was in effect henceforth. In July 1971, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi openly referred to the former East Pakistan as Bangladesh. Some Pakistani and Indian officials continued to use the name "East Pakistan" until 16 December 1971.

Liberation war

March to June

At first resistance was spontaneous and disorganized, and was not expected to be prolonged. But when the Pakistani Army cracked down upon the population, resistance grew. The Mukti Bahini became increasingly active. The Pakistani military sought to quell them, but increasing numbers of Bengali soldiers defected to the underground "Bangladesh army". These Bengali units slowly merged into the Mukti Bahini and bolstered their weaponry with supplies from India. Pakistan responded by airlifting in two infantry divisions and reorganizing their forces. They also raised paramilitary forces of Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al-Shams (who were mostly members of the Muslim League, the then government party and other Islamist groups), as well as other Bengalis who opposed independence, and Bihari Muslims who had settled during the time of partition.
On 17 April 1971, a provisional government was formed in Meherpur district in western Bangladesh bordering India with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was in prison in Pakistan, as President, Syed Nazrul Islam as Acting President, and Tajuddin Ahmed as Prime Minister. As fighting grew between the army and the Bengali Mukti Bahini an estimated 10 million Bengalis, mainly Hindus, sought refuge in the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal.


June – September

Bangladesh forces command was set up on 11 July, with Col. M A G Osmani as commander in chief, Lt. Col. Abdur Rab as chief of Army Staff and Group Captain A K Khandker as Deputy Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Air Force. Bangladesh was divided into Eleven Sectors each with a commander chosen from defected officers of the Pakistani army who joined the Mukti Bahini to conduct guerrilla operations and train fighters. Most of their training camps were situated near the border area and were operated with assistance from India. The 10th Sector was directly placed under a Commander in Chief (C-in-C) and included the Naval Commandos and C-in-C’s special force. Three brigades (11 Battalions) were raised for conventional warfare; a large guerrilla force (estimated at 100,000) was trained.
Guerrilla operations, which slackened during the training phase, picked up after August. Economic and military targets in Dhaka were attacked. The major success story was Operation Jackpot, in which naval commandos mined and blew up berthed ships in Chittagong on 16 August 1971. Pakistani reprisals claimed lives of thousands of civilians. The Indian army took over supplying the Mukti Bahini from the BSF. They organised six sectors for supplying the Bangladesh forces.

October – December

Opposing Plans, Pakistan Army Order of Battle December 1971 and Mitro Bahini Order of Battle December 1971

Bangladesh conventional forces attacked border outposts. Kamalpur, Belonia and Battle of Boyra are a few examples. 90 out of 370 BOPs fell to Bengali forces. Guerrilla attacks intensified, as did Pakistani and Razakar reprisals on civilian populations. Pakistani forces were reinforced by eight battalions from West Pakistan. The Bangladeshi independence fighters even managed to temporarily capture airstrips at Lalmonirhat and Shalutikar. Both of these were used for flying in supplies and arms from India. Pakistan sent 5 battalions from West Pakistan as reinforcements.


Indian involvement



Somapura Mahavihara in Bangladesh is the greatest Buddhist Vihara in the Indian Subcontinent, built by Dharmapala.
Major battles
  • Battle of Boyra
  • Battle of Garibpur
  • Battle of Dhalai
  • Battle of Hilli
  • Battle of Kushtia

Wary of the growing involvement of India, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) launched a pre-emptive strike on India. The attack was modelled on the Israeli Air Force's Operation Focus during the Six-Day War. However, the plan failed to achieve the desired success and was seen as an open act of unprovoked aggression against the Indians.
Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi declared war on Pakistan and in aid of the Mukti Bahini, then ordered the immediate mobilisation of troops and launched the full-scale invasion. This marked the official start of the Indo-Pakistani War.
Three Indian corps were involved in the invasion of East Pakistan. They were supported by nearly three brigades of Mukti Bahini fighting alongside them, and many more fighting irregularly. This was far superior to the Pakistani army of three divisions. The Indians quickly overran the country, bypassing heavily defended strongholds. Pakistani forces were unable to effectively counter the Indian attack, as they had been deployed in small units around the border to counter guerrilla attacks by the Mukti Bahini. Unable to defend Dhaka, the Pakistanis surrendered on 16 December 1971.
The speed of the Indian strategy can be gauged by the fact that one of the regiments of Indian army (7 Punjab now 8 Mechanised Inf Regiment) fought the liberation war along the Jessore and Khulna axis. They were newly converted to a mechanised regiment and it took them just 1 week to reach Khulna after capturing Jessore. Their losses were limited to just 2 newly acquired APCs (SKOT) from the Russians.
India's external intelligence agency, the RAW, played a crucial role in providing logistic support to the Mukti Bahini during the initial stages of the war. RAW's operations, in then-East Pakistan, was the largest covert operation in the history of South Asia.

Pakistani response

Pakistan launched a number of armoured thrusts along India's western front in attempts to force Indian troops away from East Pakistan. Pakistan tried to fight back and boost the sagging morale by incorporating the Special Services Group commandos in sabotage and rescue missions.

The air and naval war

The Indian Air Force carried out several sorties against Pakistan, and within a week, IAF aircraft dominated the skies of East Pakistan. It achieved near-total air supremacy by the end of the first week as the entire Pakistani air contingent in the east, PAF No.14 Squadron, was grounded because of Indian airstrikes at Tejgaon, Kurmitolla, Lal Munir Hat and Shamsher Nagar. Sea Hawks from INS Vikrant also struck Chittagong, Barisal and Cox's Bazar, destroying the eastern wing of the Pakistan Navy and effectively blockading the East Pakistan ports, thereby cutting off any escape routes for the stranded Pakistani soldiers. The nascent Bangladesh Navy (comprising officers and sailors who defected from the Pakistani Navy) aided the Indians in the marine warfare, carrying out attacks, most notably Operation Jackpot.

Surrender and aftermath

On 16 December 1971, Lt. Gen A. A. K. Niazi, CO of Pakistan Army forces located in East Pakistan signed the instrument of surrender. At the time of surrender only a few countries had provided diplomatic recognition to the new nation. Over 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendered to the Indian forces making it the largest surrender since World War II. Bangladesh sought admission in the United Nations with most voting in its favor, but China vetoed this as Pakistan was its key ally. The United States, also a key ally of Pakistan, was one of the last nations to accord Bangladesh recognition. To ensure a smooth transition, in 1972 the Simla Agreement was signed between India and Pakistan. The treaty ensured that Pakistan recognized the independence of Bangladesh in exchange for the return of the Pakistani PoWs. India treated all the PoWs in strict accordance with the Geneva Convention, rule 1925. It released more than 90,000 Pakistani PoWs in five months.
Further, as a gesture of goodwill, nearly 200 soldiers who were sought for war crimes by Bengalis were also pardoned by India. The accord also gave back more than 13,000 km² of land that Indian troops had seized in West Pakistan during the war, though India retained a few strategic areas; most notably Kargil (which would in turn again be the focal point for a war between the two nations in 1999). This was done as a measure of promoting "lasting peace" and was acknowledged by many observers as a sign of maturity by India. But some in India felt that the treaty had been too lenient to Bhutto, who had pleaded for leniency, arguing that the fragile democracy in Pakistan would crumble if the accord was perceived as being overly harsh by Pakistanis.

Reaction in West Pakistan to the war

Reaction to the defeat and dismemberment of half the nation was a shocking loss to top military and civilians alike. No one had expected that they would lose the formal war in under a fortnight and there was also anger at what was perceived as a meek surrender of the army in East Pakistan. Yahya Khan's dictatorship collapsed and gave way to Bhutto who took the opportunity to rise to power. General Niazi, who surrendered along with 93,000 troops, was viewed with suspicion and hatred upon his return to Pakistan. He was shunned and branded a traitor. The war also exposed the shortcomings of Pakistan's declared strategic doctrine that the "defence of East Pakistan lay in West Pakistan".Pakistan also failed to gather international support, and found itself fighting a lone battle with only the USA providing any external help. This further embittered the Pakistanis who had faced the worst military defeat of an army in decades.
The debacle immediately prompted an enquiry headed by Justice Hamoodur Rahman. Called the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, it was initially suppressed by Bhutto as it put the military in a poor light. When it was declassified, it showed many failings from the strategic to the tactical levels. It also condemned the atrocities and the war crimes committed by the armed forces. It confirmed the looting, rapes and the killings by the Pakistan Army and their local agents although the figures are far lower than the ones quoted by Bangladesh. According to Bangladeshi sources, 200,000 women were raped and over 3 million people were killed, while the Rahman Commission report in Pakistan claimed 26,000 died and the rapes were in the hundreds. However, the army’s role in splintering Pakistan after its greatest military debacle was largely ignored by successive Pakistani governments.

Atrocities


During the war there were widespread killings and other atrocities – including the displacement of civilians in Bangladesh (East Pakistan at the time) and widespread violations of human rights – carried out by the Pakistan Army with support from political and religious militias, beginning with the start of Operation Searchlight on 25 March 1971. Bangladeshi authorities claim that three million people were killed, while the Hamoodur Rahman Commission, an official Pakistan Government investigation, put the figure as low as 26,000 civilian casualties. The international media and reference books in English have also published figures which vary greatly from 200,000 to 3,000,000 for Bangladesh as a whole. A further eight to ten million people fled the country to seek safety in India.

A large section of the intellectual community of Bangladesh were murdered, mostly by the Al-Shams and Al-Badr forces, at the instruction of the Pakistani Army. Just 2 days before the surrender, on 14 December 1971, Pakistan Army and Razakar militia (local collaborators) picked up at least 100 physicians, professors, writers and engineers in Dhaka, and murdered them, leaving the dead bodies in a mass grave. There are many mass graves in Bangladesh, and as years pass, more are being discovered (such as one in an old well near a mosque in Dhaka, located in the non-Bengali region of the city, which was discovered in August 1999). The first night of war on Bengalis, which is documented in telegrams from the American Consulate in Dhaka to the United States State Department, saw indiscriminate killings of students of Dhaka University and other civilians. Numerous women were tortured, raped and killed during the war; the exact numbers are not known and are a subject of debate. Bangladeshi sources cite a figure of 200,000 women raped, giving birth to thousands of war babies. The Pakistan Army also kept numerous Bengali women as sex-slaves inside the Dhaka Cantonment. Most of the girls were captured from Dhaka University and private homes. There was significant sectarian violence not only perpetrated and encouraged by the Pakistani army, but also by Bengali nationalists against non-Bengali minorities, especially Biharis.

On 16 December 2002, the George Washington University's National Security Archive published a collection of declassified documents, consisting mostly of communications between US embassy officials and United States Information Service centers in Dhaka and India, and officials in Washington DC. These documents show that US officials working in diplomatic institutions within Bangladesh used the terms selective genocide and genocide (see The Blood Telegram) to describe events they had knowledge of at the time. Genocide is the term that is still used to describe the event in almost every major publication and newspaper in Bangladesh, although elsewhere, particularly in Pakistan, the actual death toll, motives, extent, and destructive impact of the actions of the Pakistani forces are disputed.

Foreign reaction

USA and USSR

The United States supported Pakistan both politically and materially. U.S. President Richard Nixon denied getting involved in the situation, saying that it was an internal matter of Pakistan. But when Pakistan's defeat seemed certain, Nixon sent the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise to the Bay of Bengal, a move deemed by the Indians as a nuclear threat. Enterprise arrived on station on 11 December 1971. On 6 December and 13 December, the Soviet Navy dispatched two groups of ships, armed with nuclear missiles, from Vladivostok; they trailed U.S. Task Force 74 in the Indian Ocean from 18 December until 7 January 1972.

Nixon and Henry Kissinger feared Soviet expansion into South and Southeast Asia. Pakistan was a close ally of the People's Republic of China, with whom Nixon had been negotiating a rapprochement and which he intended to visit in February 1972. Nixon feared that an Indian invasion of West Pakistan would mean total Soviet domination of the region, and that it would seriously undermine the global position of the United States and the regional position of America's new tacit ally, China. In order to demonstrate to China the bona fides of the United States as an ally, and in direct violation of the US Congress-imposed sanctions on Pakistan, Nixon sent military supplies to Pakistan and routed them through Jordan and Iran, while also encouraging China to increase its arms supplies to Pakistan.

The Nixon administration also ignored reports it received of the genocidal activities of the Pakistani Army in East Pakistan, most notably the Blood telegram.
The Soviet Union supported Bangladesh and Indian armies, as well as the Mukti Bahini during the war, recognizing that the independence of Bangladesh would weaken the position of its rivals – the United States and China. It gave assurances to India that if a confrontation with the United States or China developed, the USSR would take countermeasures. This was enshrined in the Indo-Soviet friendship treaty signed in August 1971. The Soviets also sent a nuclear submarine to ward off the threat posed by USS Enterprise in the Indian Ocean.

China

As a long-standing ally of Pakistan, the People's Republic of China reacted with alarm to the evolving situation in East Pakistan and the prospect of India invading West Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Believing that just such an Indian attack was imminent, Nixon encouraged China to mobilize its armed forces along its border with India to discourage such an eventuality; the Chinese did not, however, respond in this manner, and instead threw their weight behind demands for an immediate ceasefire, because of their heavy losses during the 1962 Sino-Indian War despite their victory. China did, however, continue to supply Pakistan with arms and aid. It is believed that had China taken action against India to protect West Pakistan, then the Soviet Union would have taken military action against China. One Pakistani writer has speculated that China chose not to attack India because Himalayan passes were snowbound in the wintry months of November and December.

United Nations

Though the United Nations condemned the human rights violations, it failed to defuse the situation politically before the start of the war. The Security Council assembled on 4 December to discuss the volatile situation in South Asia. The USSR vetoed the resolution twice. After lengthy discussions on 7 December, the General Assembly promptly adopted by a majority resolution calling for an "immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of troops." The United States on 12 December requested that the Security Council be reconvened. However, by the time it was reconvened and proposals were finalised, the war had ended, making the measures merely academic.
The inaction of the United Nations in face of the East Pakistan crisis was widely criticized. The conflict also exposed the delay in decision making that failed to address the underlying issues in time.






Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence

The independence of Bangladesh was declared by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through a message on 26 March 1971 just before he was arrested at about 1:30 a.m. (as per Radio Pakistan’s news on 29 March 1971). This declaration of independence marks the beginning of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Contents

  • 1 Text of declaration
  • 2 Spread of the declaration
  • 3 References

Text of declaration

Declaration of Independence signed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was:
Today Bangladesh is a sovereign and independent country. On Thursday night, West Pakistani armed forces suddenly attacked the police barracks at Razarbagh and the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana in Dhaka. Many innocent and unarmed have been killed in Dhaka city and other places of Bangladesh. Violent clashes between E.P.R. and Police on the one hand and the armed forces of Pakistan on the other, are going on. The Bengalis are fighting the enemy with great courage for an independent Bangladesh. May Allah aid us in our fight for freedom. Joy Bangla.

Spread of the declaration

A telegram containing the text of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration reached some students in Chittagong. The message was translated to Bangla by Dr. Manjula Anwar. The students failed to secure permission from higher authorities to broadcast the message from the nearby Agrabad Station of Radio Pakistan. They crossed Kalurghat Bridge into an area controlled by an East Bengal Regiment under Major Ziaur Rahman. Bengali soldiers guarded the station as engineers prepared for transmission. At 19:45 on 27 March 1971, Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur. The next day, Major Ziaur Rahman made another announcement:
This is Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendro. I, Major Ziaur Rahman, at the direction of Bangobondhu sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hereby declare that the independent People's Republic of Bangladesh has been established. At his direction, I have taken command as the temporary Head of the Republic. In the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, I call upon all Bengalis to rise against the attack by the West Pakistani Army. We shall fight to the last to free our Motherland. By the grace of Allah, victory is ours. Joy Bangla. Audio of Zia's announcement (interview - Belal Mohammed) Video of Major Zia's own statement about this declaration
The Kalurghat Radio Station's transmission capability was limited, but the message was picked up by a Japanese ship in Bay of Bengal. It was then re-transmitted by Radio Australia and later by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
M A Hannan, an Awami League leader from Chittagong, is said to have made the first announcement of the declaration of independence over the radio on 26 March 1971. There is controversy now as to when Major Zia gave his speech. BNP sources maintain that it was 26 March, and there was no message regarding declaration of independence from Mujibur Rahman. Pakistani sources, like Siddiq Salik in Witness to Surrender had written that he heard about Mujibor Rahman's message on the radio while Operation Searchlight was going on, and Maj. Gen. Hakeem A. Qureshi in his book The 1971 Indo-Pak War: A Soldier's Narrative, gives the date of Zia's speech as 27 March 1971. Major Zia is said do have declared the independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
26 March 1971 is considered the official Independence Day of Bangladesh. In July 1971, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi openly referred to the former East Pakistan as Bangladesh. Some Pakistani and Indian officials continued to use the name "East Pakistan" until 16 December 1971.

References

1.      "Joy" is Bengali Word that means win
2.      J. S. Gupta The History of the Liberation Movement in Bangladesh
3.      Virtual Bangladesh
4.      Annex M (Oxford University Press, 2002 ISBN 0-19-579778-7)
5.      India, Pakistan, and the United States: Breaking with the Past By Shirin R. Tahir-Kheli ISBN 0-87609-199-0, 1997, Council on Foreign Relations. pp 37




Timeline of Bangladesh Liberation War

The Bangladesh Liberation War started on March 26, 1971 and ended on December 16, 1971. Some of the major events of the war are listed in the timeline below.

Contents

  • 1 Timeline
    • 1.1 Before the war
    • 1.2 Events of the War
      • 1.2.1 March
      • 1.2.2 April
      • 1.2.3 May
      • 1.2.4 July
      • 1.2.5 August
      • 1.2.6 September
      • 1.2.7 October
      • 1.2.8 November
      • 1.2.9 December (Indo-Pakistan War)
  • 2 References

Timeline

Before the war

  • March 1: General Yahya Khan calls off the session of National Council to be held on March 3 in a radio address.
  • March 7: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - leader of Awami League party that had just won a landslide victory in East Pakistan in the Federal Elections - announces to a jubilant crowd at the Dhaka Race Course ground, "The struggle this time is the struggle for our emancipation! The struggle this time is the struggle for independence!".
  • March 9: Workers of Chittagong port refuse to unload weapons from the ship 'Swat'.
  • March 10: Expatriate Bengali students demonstrate in front of the United Nations Headquarters and calls for UN intervention to put an end to violence on Bengali people.
  • March 16: Yahya Khan starts negotiation with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
  • March 19: Nearly 50 people die as Pakistan Army opens fire on demonstrators at Jaydevpur.
  • March 24: Pakistan Army opens fire on Bengali demonstrators in Syedpur, Rangpur and Chittagong. More than a thousand people are killed.

Events of the War

March

  • March 25: Pakistan Army starts Operation Searchlight in Dhaka and rest of the country, attacking political activists, students, and Bengali members of armed forces and police
  • March 26: Independence of Bangladesh is declared by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman shortly before his arrest. This is Bangladesh's official Independence Day.
  • March 31: Kushtia resistance begins.

April

  • April 2: Jinjira genocide.
  • April 6: The Blood Telegram
  • April 11: Radio address by Tajuddin Ahmad, the Prime Minister.
  • April 10: A provisional Bangladesh government-in-exile is formed.
  • April 12: M. A. G. Osmani takes up the command of Bangladesh Armed Forces.
  • April 17: A provisional government-in-exile took oath in Boiddonathtola (now called Mujibnagar) in Meherpur District
  • April 18: Battle of Daruin, Comilla and Battle of Rangamati-Mahalchari waterway, Chittagong Hill Tracts.
  • April 24: Formation of Bangladesh Action Committee at Coventry, UK by non-resident Bangladeshis.
  • April 28: Tajuddin pleas for arms aid to neighbors.

May

  • May 5: Gopalpur massacre.
  • May 15: Indian army starts aiding Mukti Bahini
  • May 20:The Chuknagar Genocide takes place at Khulna where the Pakistan army kills nearly 10 thousand people
  • May 24: Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra finds home in Kolkata.

July

  • July 11-17: Sector Commanders Conference 1971.

August

  • August 1: The Concert for Bangladesh in Madison Square Garden, New York by George Harrison and friends.
  • August 16: Operation Jackpot, Bangladesh naval commando operation.
  • August 20: Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman (military pilot)'s attempt to defect by hijacking a fighter.
  • August 30: Pakistan Army crackdown on Dhaka guerrillas

September

  • September 5: Battle of Goahati, Jessore.
  • September 28: Bangladesh Air Force starts functioning.

October

  • October 13: Dhaka guerrillas kill Abdul Monem Khan, governor of East Pakistan.
  • October 28: Battle of Dhalai Outpost, Srimongol.
  • October 31 to November 3: Battle of Dhalai: Indian attack from Tripura into East Pakistan to stop Pakistani cross-border shelling.

November

  • November 9: Six small ships constitute the first fleet of Bangladesh Navy.
  • November 16: Battle of Ajmiriganj, an 18 hour encounter between MB and Pakistan army. A famous freedom fighter, Jagatyoti Das, is martyred.
  • November 20 to November 21: Battle of Garibpur: Indian attack in Boyra salient in East Pakistan
  • November 21: Mitro Bahini, the joint force of Bngladesh and Indian army is formed.
  • November 22 to December 13, and sporadic fighting to December 16: Battle of Hilli: Indian attack on Bogra in East Pakistan.

December (Indo-Pakistan War)

  • December 3: Bangladesh Air Force destroys Pakistani oil depots. Pakistani air attacks on India result in India declaring war on Pakistan.
  • December 4 to December 6: Battle of Basantar: Indians attack and take over Pakistani territory opposite Jammu
  • Dec 5 to Dec 6: Battle of Longewala: Indians stop a Pakistani invasion directed at Jaisalmer.
  • December 4 Operation Trident (Indo-Pakistani War): Indian naval attack on Karachi
  • December 6: India becomes the first country to recognize Bangladesh. Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra becomes Bangladesh Betar.
  • December 7: Liberation of Jessore, Sylhet and Moulovi Bazar.
  • December 8 night: Operation Python: Indian naval attack on Karachi
  • December 9: Battle of Kushtia: Indian attack from West Bengal into East Pakistan.
Chandpur and Daudkandi liberated.
  • December 10: Liberation of Laksham. Two Bangladeshi ships sunk mistakenly by Indian air attack.
  • December 11: Liberation of Hilli, Mymenshingh, Kushtia and Noakhali. USS Enterprise is deployed by the USA in the Bay of Bengal to intimidate Indian Navy.
  • December 13: Soviet Navy deploys a group of ships to counter USS Enterprise.
  • December 14: Selective genocide of nationalist intellectuals. Liberation of Bogra.
  • December 16: Pakistan Army surrenders to Mitro Bahini represented by Jagjit Singh Aurora of the Indian Army faction of the military coalition.
Freedom of Bangladeshi people.
  • December 22: The provisional government of Bangladesh arrives in Dhaka from exile.

References

1.      March 1, 1971 - Liberation War Museum
2.      March 10, 1971 - Liberation War Museum
3.      March 19, 1971 - Liberation War Museum
4.      March 24, 1971 - Liberation War Museum
5.      Locals still have nightmare about supreme sacrifices of Lt. Azim, 200 others The New Nation, Internet Edition, May 8, 2009
6.      A Tale of Millions, Islam, Major Rafiqul Bir Uttam, p 211
7.      Jahanara Imam, Ekatturer Dinguli
8.      (Airplanes of liberation war), The Daily Prothom Alo, December 25, 2009



List of sectors in Bangladesh Liberation War













During Bangladesh Liberation War the Bangladesh Forces (not to be confused with Mukti Bahini) was divided in the geographical area of Bangladesh into eleven sectors. Each sector with a sector commander who directed the military operation further coordinated through several sub sectors under sub sector commanders.


Contents

  • 1 Background
  • 2 List of Sectors and Subsectors
  • 3 List of guerilla organizations
  • 4 Notes
  • 5 References

Background

Sector Commanders Conference 1971 of Bangladesh interim government of July 11, 1971 appointed Col. M A G Osmani as Commander in Chief, Lt. Col. Abdur Rab as chief of Army Staff. In this meeting, Bangladesh was divided into Eleven Sectors under Sector Commanders. The 10th Sector was directly placed under Commander in Chief and included the Naval Commandos and C-in-C’s special force.
Sector Commanders directed the guerrilla warfare. For better efficiency in military operations each of the sectors were divided into a number of sub-sectors. On November 21, 1971 Bangladesh Forces under Indian Army formed an allied command in which India took surrender of Pakistani forces on December 16, 1971. The table below provides a list of the sectors along with the area under each of them, the names of the sector commanders and the names of sub-sectors.

List of Sectors and Subsectors


Sectors of Bangladesh Liberation War
Sector
Area
Sector Commander
Sub Sectors (Commanders)
1
Chittagong District, Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the entire eastern area of the Noakhali District on the banks of the river Muhuri. The headquarters of the sector was at Harina.
• Major Ziaur Rahman (April 10, 1971 – June 25, 1971)
• Major Rafiqul Islam (June 28, 1971 – February 14, 1972)
  1. Rishimukh (Captain Shamsul Islam);
  2. Sreenagar (Captain Matiur Rahman, Captain Mahfuzur Rahman);
  3. Manughat (Captain Mahfuzur Rahman);
  4. Tabalchhari (Sergeant Ali Hossain); and
  5. Dimagiri (Army Sergeant, name unknown to date).
2
Districts of Dhaka, Comilla, and Faridpur, and part of Noakhali District.
• Major Khaled Mosharraf (April 10, 1971 – September 22, 1971)
• Major ATM Haider (Sector Commander September 22, 1971 – December 18, 1972)
  1. Gangasagar, Akhaura and Kasba (Mahbub, Lieutenant Farooq, and Lieutenant Humayun Kabir);
  2. Mandabhav (Captain Gaffar);
  3. Shalda-nadi (Mahmud Hasan);
  4. Matinagar (Lieutenant Didarul Alam);
  5. Nirbhoypur (Captain Akbar, Lieutenant Mahbub); and
  6. Rajnagar (Captain Jafar Imam, Captain Shahid, and Lieutenant Imamuzzaman)
3
Area between Churaman Kathi (near Sreemangal) and Sylhet in the north and Singerbil of Brahmanbaria in the south.
• Major K M Shafiullah (April 10, 1971 – July 21, 1971)
• Captain ANM Nuruzzaman (July 23, 1971 – February 14, 1972)
  1. Asrambari (Captain Aziz, Captain Ejaz);
  2. Baghaibari (Captain Aziz, Captain Ejaz);
  3. Hatkata (Captain Matiur Rahman);
  4. Simla (Captain Matin);
  5. Panchabati (Captain Nasim);
  6. Mantala (Captain MSA Bhuyan);
  7. Vijoynagar (Captain MSA Bhuyan);
  8. Kalachhora (Lieutenant Majumdar);
  9. Kalkalia (Lieutenant Golam Helal Morshed); and
  10. Bamutia (Lieutenant Sayeed)
4
Area from Habiganj District on the north to Kanaighat Police Station on the south along the 100 mile long border with India. The headquarters of the sector was initially at Karimganj and later at Masimpur.
• Major Chittarajan Datta (April 10, 1971 – February 14, 1972)
• Captain A Rab
  1. Jalalpur (Mahbubur Rob Sadi);
  2. Barapunji (Captain A Rab);
  3. Amlasid (Lieutenant Zahir);
  4. Kukital (Flight Lieutenant Kader, Captain Shariful Haq);
  5. Kailas Shahar (Lieutenant Wakiuzzaman); and
  6. Kamalpur (Captain Enam)
5
Area from Durgapur to Danki (Tamabil) of Sylhet District and the entire area up to the eastern borders of the district. The headquarters of the sector was at Banshtala.
• Major Mir Shawkat Ali (April 10, 1971 – February 14, 1972)
  1. Muktapur (Sergeant Nazir Hossain, Freedom Fighter Faruq was second in command);
  2. Dauki (Sergeant Major BR Chowdhury);
  3. Shela (Captain Helal);
  4. Bholajanj (Lieutenant Taheruddin Akhunji);
  5. Balat (Sergeant Ghani, Captain Salahuddin and Enanmul Haq Chowdhury); and
  6. Barachhara (Captain Muslim Uddin).
6
Rangpur District and part of Dinajpur District. The headquarters of the sector was at Burimari near Patgram.
• Wing Commander M Khademul Bashar (April 1971 – February 14, 1972)
  1. Bhajanpur (Captain Nazrul, Flight Lieutenant Sadruddin and Captain Shahriyar);
  2. Patgram (initially divided between junior commissioned officers of the EPR and later taken hold by Captain Matiur Rahman);
  3. Sahebganj (Captain Nawazesh Uddin);
  4. Mogalhat (Captain Delwar); and
  5. Chilahati (Flight Lieutenant Iqbal)
7'
Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra and part of Dinajpur District. The headquarters of the sector was at Taranngapur.
• Major Nazmul Huq (April 10 – September 27, 1971)
• Major Kazi Nuruzzaman (September 28 – February 14, 1972)
• Subedar Major A Rab
  1. Malan (initially divided between junior commissioned officers and later taken hold by Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir);
  2. Tapan (Major Nazmul Huq, also commanded by commanding officers of the EPR);
  3. Mehdipur (Subedar Iliyas, Captain Mahiuddin Jahangir);
  4. Hamzapur (Captain Idris);
  5. Anginabad (unnamed freedom fighter);
  6. Sheikhpara (Captain Rashid);
  7. Thokrabari (Subedar Muazzam); and
  8. Lalgola (Captain Gheyasuddin Chowdhury).
8
In April 1971, the operational area of the sector comprised the districts of Kushtia, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, Faridpur and Patuakhali. At the end of May the sector was reconstituted and comprised the districts of Kuhstia, Jessore, Khulna, Satkhira and the northern part of Faridpur district. The headquarters of the sector was at Benapole.
• Major Abu Osman Chowdhury (April 10 – July 17, 1971)
• Major MA Manzur (August 14, 1971 – February 14, 1972)
  1. Boyra (Captain Khondakar Nazmul Huda);
  2. Hakimpur (Captain Shafiq Ullah);
  3. Bhomra (Captain Salahuddin, Captain Shahabuddin);
  4. Lalbazar (Captain AR Azam Chowdhury);
  5. Banpur (Captain Mostafizur Rahman);
  6. Benapole (Captain Abdul Halim, Captain Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury); and
  7. Shikarpur (Captain Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Lieutenant Jahangir).
9
Barisal, Patuakhali, and parts of the district of Khulna and Faridpur.
• Major M A Jalil (July 17 – December 24, 1971)
• Major MA Manzur
• Major Joynal Abedin

  1. Taki;
  2. Hingalganj; and
  3. Shamshernagar.
10
This sector was constituted with the naval commandos.
• Commander HQ BD Forces (December 3 – December 16, 1971)
None.

11

Mymensingh and Tangail along with parts of Rangpur - Gaibandha, Ulipurh, Kamalpur and Chilmari. The headquarters of the sector was at Teldhala until October 10, then transferred to Mahendraganj.

• Major Ziaur Rahman (June 27, 1971 – October 10, 1971)


• Squadron Leader M. Hamidullah Khan (November 2, 1971 – February 14, 1972)
• Major Abu Taher (October 10, 1971 – November 2, 1971)
  1. Mankarchar (Squadron Leader M.Hamidullah Khan);
  2. Mahendraganj (Major Abu Taher; Lieutenant Mannan);
  3. Purakhasia (Lieutenant Hashem);
  4. Dhalu (Lieutenant Taher; Lieutenant Kamal);
  5. Rangra (Matiur Rahman)
  6. Shivabari (divided between junior commissioned officers of the EPR);
  7. Bagmara (divided between junior commissioned officers of the EPR); and
  8. Maheshkhola (a member of the EPR).


List of guerilla organizations

  • Z Force, under Major Ziaur Rahman, consisted of 1, 3 and 8 East Bengal Regiment.
    • 1st East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major Ziauddin
    • 3rd East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major Shafaat Jamil
    • 8th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer - Major Aminul Haque
  • K Force, commanded by Major Khaled Mosharraf, was created with 4, 9 and 10 East Bengal Regiment.
    • 4th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer -
    • 9th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer -
    • 10th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer -
  • S Force, under Major K.M. Safiullah, was created in October 1971 and consisted of 2 and 11 East Bengal Regiment.
    • 2nd East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer -
    • 11th East Bengal Regiment - Commanding Officer -

Notes

1.      Bangladesh Liberation Armed Force, Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh.

References

  • List of Liberation War Sectors and Sector Commanders of Bangladesh (Gazette Notification No.8/25/D-1/72-1378), Ministry of Defence, Government of Bangladesh, December 15, 1973
  • Govt. of Bangladesh, Documents of the War of Independence, Vol 01–16, Ministry of Information
  • Ministry of Liberation War Affairs/Pro-1/Uthmab-4-04-1851, Government of Bangladesh, November 27, 2004
  • M. Hamidullah Khan, Sector Commander 11, War of Independence - Bangladesh, Ekatture Uttar Ronangaon (1971 Northern Front), - Factual War Accounts (in Bangla), Barnatoru, ISBN 984-626-47-2, Dhaka 2008






Mukti Bahini

Mukti Bahini (Bengali: "Liberation Army"), also termed as the "Freedom Fighters" or FFs, collectively refers to the armed organizations who fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically formed by (mostly) Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence on March 26, 1971. Subsequently by mid-April 1971 the Bengali officers and soldiers of East Bengal Regiments formed the "Bangladesh Armed Forces" and M. A. G. Osmani assumed its command. The civilian groups continued to assist the armed forces during the war. After the war "Mukti Bahini" became the general term to refer to all forces (military and civilian) of former East Pakistani origin fighting against the Pakistani armed forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Often Mukti Bahini operated as an effective guerrilla force to keep their enemies on the run. Inspired in part by revolutionary Che Guevara, they have been compared to the French Maquis, Viet Cong, and the guerrillas of Josip Broz Tito in their tactics and effectiveness.

Contents

  • 1 Origins
  • 2 Organization during war
  • 3 Regular and irregular forces
    • 3.1 Bangladesh Navy
    • 3.2 Bangladesh Air Force
    • 3.3 Independent forces
    • 3.4 Leftist factions
  • 4 Sectors of Liberation War
  • 5 Mukti Bahini in the final phase
  • 6 References
  • 7 Further reading

Origins

Although Mukti Bahini was formed to fight off the military crackdown by the Pakistan army on March 25, 1971 during the climax of Bangladesh freedom movement, The crisis had already started taking shape with anti-Ayub uprising in 1969 and precipitated into a political crisis at the height of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Six-point movement beginning in the 1970s. In March 1971, rising political discontent and cultural nationalism in what was then East Pakistan (later, Bangladesh) was met by harsh suppressive force from the ruling elite of the West Pakistan establishment in what came to be termed Operation Searchlight.
The massive crackdown by West Pakistan forces became an important factor in precipitating the civil war as a sea of refugees (estimated at the time to be about 10 million) came flooding to the eastern provinces of India. Facing a mounting humanitarian crisis, India started actively aiding and re-organising what was by this time already the nucleus of the Mukti Bahini.
The immediate precursor of the Mukti Bahini was Mukti Fauj ("Fauj" is the Urdu originally from Persian borrowed from Arabic for "Brigade" exported into several languages in South Asia including Bengali), which was preceded denominationally by the sangram parishads formed in the cities and villages by the student and youth leaderships in early March 1971. When and how the Mukti Fauj was created is not clear nor is the later adoption of the name Mukti Bahini. It is, however, certain that the names originated generically refer to the people who fought in the Bangladesh liberation war.
Since the anti-Ayub uprising in 1969 and during the height of Mujib's six points movement, there was a growing movement among the Bengalis in East Pakistan to become independent driven by the nationalists, radicals and leftists. After the election of 1970, the subsequent crisis strengthened that feeling within the people. Sheikh Mujib himself was facing immense pressure from most prominent political quarters, especially the ultra-nationalist young student leaders, to declare independence without delay. Armed preparations were going on by some leftist and nationalist groups, and the Bengali army officers and soldiers were prepared to defect. At the call of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the people of East Pakistan joined in a peaceful movement for non-cooperation from 3 March 1971, and 7th march and onward, which lasted up to midnight of 25 March 1971. On this date the Pakistani Army cracked down upon unarmed civilians to take control of the administration. During the army crackdown on the night of March 25, 1971, there were reports of small scale resistance notably at Iqbal Hall, Dhaka University and at the Rajarbagh Police Headquarter. The latter initially put a strong fight against the Pakistan Army. As political events gathered momentum, the stage was set for a clash between the Pakistan Army and the Bengali people vowing for independence. Bengali members of the Army were also defecting and gathering in various pockets of the country.
All these early fights were disorganized and futile because of the greater military strength of the Pakistani Army. Outside of Dhaka, resistance was more successful. The earliest move towards forming a liberation army officially came from the declaration of independence made by Major Ziaur Rahman of East Bengal Regiment on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In the declaration made from Kalurghat Betar Kendra (Chittagong) on March 27, 1971, Zia assumed the title of "provisional commander in chief of the Bangladesh Liberation Army", though his area of operation remained confined to Chittagong and Noakhali areas. Major Ziaur Rahman's declaration on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman marked a break with Pakistan by the Bengali units of the army.


Organization during war

Though prolonged Bengali resistance was not anticipated by Pakistani planners of Operation Searchlight, when the Pakistani Army cracked down upon the population, the Mukti Bahini were becoming increasingly visible. Headed by Colonel (later, General) M. A. G. Osmani, a retired Pakistani Army officer, this band was raised as Mujib's action arm and security force before assuming the character of a conventional guerrilla force. After the declaration of independence, the Pakistani military sought to quell them, but increasing numbers of Bengali soldiers defected to the underground "Bangladesh army". These Bengali units slowly merged into the Mukti Bahini and bolstered their weaponry.
On April 12, 1971 Colonel (later General) M. A. G. Osmani assumed the command of armed forces at Teliapara (Sylhet) headquarters. Osmani was made the commander-in-chief of Bangladesh Armed Forces on April 17, 1971. Serious initiative for organising the Bangladesh liberation army was taken between 11-17 July. In a meeting of the sector commanders in Kolkata, four important resolutions were taken in consideration of strategic aspects of the war, existing problems and future course of resistance. These were:
  • Composition and tactics of the combatants would be as follows:
    • Guerrilla teams comprising 5 to 10 trained members would be sent to specific areas of Bangladesh with specific assignments
    • Combat soldiers would carry out frontal attacks against the enemy. Between 50 and 100 per cent would carry arms. Intelligence volunteers would be engaged to collect information about the enemy. 30 percent of these people would be equipped with weapons;
  • The regular forces would be organised into battalions and sectors.
  • The following strategies would be adopted while carrying out military operations against the enemy
    • A large number of guerrillas would be sent out inside Bangladesh to carry out raids and ambushes;
    • Industries would be brought to a standstill and electricity supply would be disrupted;
    • Pakistanis would be obstructed in exporting manufactured goods and raw materials;
    • Communication network would be destroyed in order to obstruct enemy movements;
    • Enemy forces would be forced to disperse and scatter for strategic gains;
  • The whole area of Bangladesh would be divided into 11 sectors.
Other than the organizations of Mukti Bahini who were generally trained and armed by the Indian Army, there were independent guerrilla groups led by individual leaders, either nationalists or leftists, who were successfully controlling some areas.


Regular and irregular forces


The regular forces later called Niomita Bahini (regular force) consisted of the members of the East Bengal Regiments (EBR), East Pakistan Rifles (EPR, later BDR), police, other paramilitary forces and the general people who were commanded by the army commanders in the 11 sectors all over Bangladesh. Three major forces: Z-Force under the command of Major (later, Major General) Ziaur Rahman, K-Force under Major (later Brigadier ) Khaled Mosharraf and S-Force under Major (later Major General) K M Shafiullah were raised afterwards to fight battles in efficient manners. The irregular forces, generally called Gono Bahini (people's army), were those who were trained more in guerrilla warfare than the conventional one.
The irregular forces, which after initial training joined different sectors, consisted of the students, peasants, workers and political activists. Irregular forces were initiated inside Bangladesh province to adopt guerrilla warfare against the enemy. The regular forces were engaged in fighting the usual way.
The Mukti Bahini obtained strength from the two main streams of fighting elements: members of armed forces of erstwhile East Pakistan and members of the urban and rural youths many of whome were volunteers. Other groups included members of sangram parishads, youth and student wings of Awami League, NAP, Leftist-Communist Parties and radical groups. The Mukti Bahini had several factions. The foremost one was organized by the members of the regular armed force, who were generally known as Freedom Fighters (FF). Then there was Bangladesh Liberation Forces (BLF) led by four youth leaders of the political wing of Sheikh Mujib's Awami League and the third one generally known as Special Guerrilla Forces (SGF) led by the Communist Party of Bangladesh, National Awami Party, and Bangladesh Students Union. They then jointly launched guerrilla operations against the Pakistani Army causing heavy damages and casualties. This setback prompted the Pakistani Army to induct Razakars, Al-Badrs and Al-Shams (mostly members of Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamist groups), as well as other Bengalis who opposed independence, and Biharis who had settled during the time of partition. This helped Pakistan stem the tide somewhat as the monsoon approached in the months of June and July.

Bangladesh Navy

Bangladesh Navy was constituted in August 1971. Initially, there were two ships and 45 navy personnel. These ships carried out many successful raids on the Pakistani fleet. But both of these ships were mistakenly hit and destroyed by Indian fighter planes on 10 December 1971, when they were about to launch a major attack on Mongla seaport.

Bangladesh Air Force

Bangladesh Air Force started functioning on 28 September at Dimapur in Nagaland, under the command of Air Commodore AK Khondakar. Initially, it consisted of 17 officers, 50 technicians, 2 planes and 1 helicopter. The Air Force carried out more than twelve sorties against Pakistani targets and was quite successful during the initial stages of the Indian attack in early December.

Independent forces

In addition, there were also some independent forces that fought in various regions of Bangladesh and liberated many areas. These included Mujib Bahini which was organized in India. Major General Oban of the Indian Army and Student League leaders Serajul Alam Khan, Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani, Kazi Arif Ahmed, Abdur Razzak, Tofael Ahmed, A. S. M. Abdur Rab, Shahjahan Siraj, Nur E Alam Siddiqi, and Abdul Quddus Makhon were organisers of this Bahini. There was the Kaderia Bahini under Kader Siddique of Tangail, Afsar Bahini and Aftab Bahini of Mymensingh, Latif Mirza Bahini of Sirajganj, Akbar Hossain Bahini of Jhinaidah, Quddus Molla and Gafur Bahini of Barisal, Hemayet Bahini under Hemayet Uddin of Faridpur. There were also several communist/leftist groups who clashed with the Pakistan Army, and controlled some areas independently.

Leftist factions

In addition,there were some other groups of freedom fighters which were controlled by the Leftist parties and groups including the NAP and Communist Parties. Among others, Siraj Sikder raised a strong guerrilla force which fought several battles with the Pakistani soldiers in Payarabagan, Barisal. Although there were ideological conflicts among the communist parties (most notably, split into pro-soviet and pro-Chinese factions and widespread split within the pro-Chinese faction) on deciding a common action in the context of Bangladesh Liberation, many of the individuals and leaders of Mukti Bahini were deeply influenced by the leftist ideology in general. There were strong concerns among the Indian authority and members of the Awami League led provisional government not to lose the control of the liberation war to the leftists. Nevertheless many leftists overcame these internal and external difficulties and actively participated in the Liberation war with the main nucleus of the Mukti Bahini.


Sectors of Liberation War

  
Immediately after formation, the new government of Bangladesh shifted its focus on organizing the war against Pakistan Army. A Cabinet meeting of Bangladesh government on July 11, 1971 appointed Col. M. A. Goni Osmani as Commander in Chief, Lt. Col. Abdur Rab as Chief of Army Staff and Group Captain A K Khandker as Deputy Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Air Force.
In this meeting Bangladesh was divided into Eleven Sectors and each Sector was assigned a Sector Commander. The 10th Sector was directly placed under the Commander in Chief (C-in-C) and included the Naval Commandos and C-in-C’s special force.
The Sector Commanders were chosen from defected officers of Pakistan army who joined the Mukti Bahini. These trained officers directed the guerrilla warfare as well as trained the independence militia who lacked formal training on military operations. Most of these training camps were situated near the border area and were operated with direct assistance from India.
For better efficiency in combat operations, each of the sectors were divided into a number of sub-sectors. The table below provides a list of the sectors along with the name of the sector commanders.




Sectors of Bangladesh Liberation War
Sector
Area
Sector Commander
1
Chittagong District, Chittagong Hill Tracts, and the entire eastern area of the Noakhali District on the banks of the river Muhuri.
Major Ziaur Rahman, later replaced by Major Rafiqul Islam
2
Districts of Dhaka, Comilla, Faridpur, and part of Noakhali District.
Major Khaled Mosharraf, later replaced by Major ATM Haider
3
Area between Churaman Kathi (near Sreemangal) and Sylhet in the north and Singerbil of Brahmanbaria in the south.
Major KM Shafiullah, later replaced by Major ANM Nuruzzaman.
4
Area from Habiganj District on the north to Kanaighat Police Station on the south along the 100 mile long border with India.
Major Chittarajan Datta, later replaced by Captain A Rab.
5
Area from Durgapur to Danki (Tamabil) of Sylhet District and the entire area up to the eastern borders of the district.
Major Mir Shawkat Ali
6
Rangpur District and part of Dinajpur District.
Wing Commander M Khademul Bashar
7
Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra and part of Dinajpur District.
Major Nazmul Huq, later replaced by Subedar Major A Rab and Kazi Nuruzzaman.
8
In April 1971, the operational area of the sector comprised the districts of Kushtia, Jessore, Khulna, Barisal, Faridpur and Patuakhali. At the end of May the sector was reconstituted and comprised the districts of Kuhstia, Jessore, Khulna, Satkhira and the northern part of Faridpur district.
Major Abu Osman Chowdhury, later replaced by Major MA Manzur.
9
Barisal, Patuakhali, and parts of the district of Khulna and Faridpur.
Major M A Jalil later replaced by Major MA Manzur and Major Joynal Abedin.
10
This sector was constituted with the naval commandos.
Indian commander MN Sumanta.
11
Mymensingh and Tangail.
Major M Abu Taher, later replaced by Squadron Leader Hamidullah.
Source: Sectors of the War of Liberation; Shirin, S. M.; Banglapedia.





Mukti Bahini in the final phase

The liberation forces started carrying out massive raids into enemy fronts from October 1971. After the signing of the Indo-Soviet Treaty in August 1971, India began to demonstrate more interest in the Bangladesh war. Eventually India legally entered the war on 3 December 1971 (Indo-Pakistani War of 1971) after Pakistan's preemptive air raids on some Indian cities in the western border. In fact, the Indian soldiers were already participating in the war in different guises since November when the independence fighters had launched the Belonia battle. When the Indian Army planned to avoid battles and seize the capital Dhaka in the shortest campaign possible, the Mukti Bahini made the task much easier by confining the Pakistani army and holding them back from moving towards to capital.
Despite the difficult terrain of Bangladesh, the war was won rapidly. Dhaka was liberated in a matter of two weeks. The Mukti Bahini were a major contributing factor in the Indian Victory fighting both as irregulars, and as conventional forces alongside the Indians. Several actions in the heart of the capital and the killing of Monaem Khan, a loyalist, anti-Bengali and ex-governor of East Pakistan, proved the effectiveness and capability of the guerrillas.
On 16 December 1971, commander of the 14 division of Pakistan army Major General Jamshed surrendered to Indian General Nagra near Mirpur bridge in Dhaka. At 10.40 am, the Indian allied force and Kader Siddique entered Dhaka city. That signaled the end of the 9-month long War of Liberation of Bangladesh. Scattered battles were still waged at various places of the country.
The Commander of Eastern Command of the Pakistan Army, Lt. General A. A. K. Niazi surrendered to the commander of the joint Indo-Bangladesh force and the chief of Indian eastern command Lt. General Jagjit Singh Arora. The Bangladesh Forces were represented at the ceremony by Group Captain A. K. Khandker.

 



Recipients of Bangladeshi military awards in 1971

Four categories of gallantry awards were created after the war in Bangladesh to honor those who had demonstrated outstanding bravery in the war. These were:
1.      Bir Sreshţho
2.      Bir Uttom
3.      Bir Bikrom
4.      Bir Protik
A total of 676 participants of the Liberation War received gallantry awards for their contribution.

Contents

  • 1 Bir Sreshtho
    • 1.1 Bangladesh Army
    • 1.2 Bangladesh Navy
    • 1.3 Bangladesh Air Force
    • 1.4 Bangladesh Rifles
  • 2 Bir Uttom
  • 3 Bir Bikrom
  • 4 Bir Protik

Bir Sreshtho


The Bir Sreshtho (The Most Valiant Hero) is the highest military award of Bangladesh. It was awarded to seven freedom fighters who showed utmost bravery and made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation in the Liberation War.
The recipients are:

Bangladesh Army

  • Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir   †
  • Sepoy Hamidur Rahman   †
  • Sepoy Mostafa Kamal  †

Bangladesh Navy

  • Engineroom Artificer Ruhul Amin   †

Bangladesh Air Force

  • Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman   †

Bangladesh Rifles

  • Lance Naik Munshi Abdur Rouf   †
  • Lance Naik Nur Mohammad Sheikh  †

Bir Uttom

No.
NAME
SECTOR
RANK
01
Abdur Rob
Army chief, AHQ
Lieutenant Colonel
02
K M Shafiullah
Commander, S Force
Major
03
Ziaur Rahman
Commander, Z Force
Major
04
Chittoronjon Datta
Sector Commander-04
Major
05
Kazi Nuruzzaman
Sector Commander-07
Major
06
Mir Showkat Ali
Sector Commander-05
Major
07
Khaled Mosharraf
Commander, K Force
Major
08
Abdul Manzur
Sector Commander-08
Major
09
Abu Taher
Sector Commander-11
Major
10
A N M Nuruzzaman
Sector Commander-03
Captain
11
Rafiqul Islam,1971
Sector Commander-01
Captain
12
Abdus Salek Choudhury
Sector Commander-02
Captain
13
Aminul Haque
Commander, 8 East Bengal
Major
14
Khaja Nijam Uddin,Martyr
Sector-04
Leader Public Force/Gano Bahini
15
A K Khandker
Deputy Chief of Command
Group Captain
16
Shahjahan Omar
-
-
17
Kader Siddique
-
-
18
Liakat Ali Khan
-
-
19
Shahabuddin Ahmed, 1971
-
-
20
Anwar Hossain Pahari
-
-
21
Aftab Ali
-
(Sector-11)3rd East Bengal
Subeder
22
Motiur Rahman
-
Lieutenant Colonel

Bir Bikrom


175 fighters have been awarded on 15 December, 1973 for their heroic actions at the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The government of Bangladesh declared the name of the awardees in Bangladesh Gazette on 15 December 1973.
  • Bir Bikrom General Ershad Ali Khan
  • Bir Bikrom Mozammel Hoque

Bir Protik


This award was declared on 15 December, 1973. A total of 426 people have received the award so far, all for their actions during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.
  • MRS. TARAMON BIBI

Bir Sreshtho

The Bir Sreshtho (The Most Valiant Hero) is the highest military award of Bangladesh. It was awarded to seven freedom fighters who showed utmost bravery and died in action for their nation. They are considered martyrs.
The other three gallantry awards are named, in decreasing order of importance, Bir Uttom, Bir Bikrom and Bir Protik. All of these awards were introduced immediately after the Liberation War in 1971.

Contents

  • 1 Recipients
    • 1.1 Bangladesh Army
    • 1.2 Bangladesh Navy
    • 1.3 Bangladesh Air Force
    • 1.4 Bangladesh Rifles
  • 2 References
  • 3 See also
  • 4 External links

Recipients

All the recipients of this award were killed in action during the Liberation War of 1971.Award was declared by the Bangladesh Gazette 15 December,1973.

 

Bangladesh Army

Serial No.
ID Number & Rank
Name
1
BSS-10439 Captain
Mohiuddin Jahangir (Shaheed)
2
3943014 Sepoy
Hamidur Rahman (Shaheed)
3
3937798 Sepoy
Mostafa Kamal (Shaheed)

 

Bangladesh Navy

Serial No.
ID Number & Rank
Name
4
62066 Engineroom Artificer, Class-1
Mohammad Ruhul Amin (Shaheed)

 

Bangladesh Air Force

Serial No.
ID Number & Rank
Name
5
Pak/4367 Flight Lieutenant
Matiur Rahman (Shaheed)

 

Bangladesh Rifles

Serial No.
ID Number & Rank
Name
6
Lance Naik
Munshi Abdur Rouf (EB-R, Shaheed)
7
9459 Lance Naik
Lance Naik Nur Mohammad Sheikh (Shaheed)

Note: When referring to martyrs, the word 'shaheed' is often put before each individuals name as a mark of respect. The list has been prepared as on the declaration by the Bangladesh Gazette

 

References

1.      The Bangladesh Gazette, 15 December,1973.
[http://www.bgpress.gov.bd The Bangladesh Gazette>

 

Bir Uttom

Bir Uttom (literally, Better among Braves in Bengali) is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho.
Since independence of Bangladesh in 1971, 69 people have been awarded as Bir Uttom.

Contents

  • 1 Recipients
    • 1.1 Bangladesh Army
    • 1.2 Bangladesh Navy
    • 1.3 Bangladesh Air Force
    • 1.4 Gonobahini
    • 1.5 Post 1971
  • 2 See also

Recipients

This award was declared on 15 December, 1973. Total 68 people have been awarded for their bravery dedication in the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.
In April 2010, Brigaider General (posthumous) Jamil Uddin Ahmed was posthumously conferred with the Bir Uttom honor for being the lone army officer who was killed while trying to counter the killers of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during a military coup on 15 August, 1975.


The following list has been prepared as of the Bangladesh Gazette of 15 December, 1973.

Bangladesh Army

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
01
B.R.R.-1550
Lieutenant Colonel
Md. A. Rob, M.N.A.
02
B.A.-5121
Major
K. M. Shafiullah
03
B.A.-5115
Major
Ziaur Rahman
04
B.A.-3613
Major
Chitta Ranjan Datta
05
B.A.-2215
Major
Kazi Nuruzzaman
06
B.A.-5512
Major
Mir Shawkat Ali
07
B.A.-5553
Major
Khaled Mosharraf
08
B.A.-6030
Major
Abul Manzur
09
B. A.-6472
Major
Abu Taher (Retired)
10
B.A.-182
Major
A.J.M Aminul Haque
11
B.A.-6286
Captain
A. N. M. Nuruzzaman
12
B.A.-7210
Captain
Mohammad Rafiqul Islam
13
B.S.S.-7704
Captain
Abdus Salek Choudhury
14
B.A.-7335
Major
Mohammad Rafiqul Islam
15
-
Leader Gonobahini
Khaja Nazimuddin (Shaheed)
16
B.A.-7942
Captain
Harun Ahmed Choudhury
17
B.S.S.-8544
Major
A.T.M. Haider
18
B.S.S.-10012
Captain
M.A. Gaffar Haldar
19
B.A.-10170
Major
Shariful Haque
20
B.A.-11521
Captain
Mohammad Shahjahan
21
B.A.-11562
Captain
Mahbubur Rahman
22
B.A.-6489
Major
Mohammad Ziauddin (Retired)
23
B.A.-10561
Captain
Aftab Kader
24
B.A.-11038
Captain
Mahbubur Rahman (Shaheed)
25
-
Captain (2-E.Bengal)
Salah Uddin Momtaz (Posthumously)
26
B.A.-10244
Captain (2-E.Bengal)
Mohammad Azizur Rahman
27
N.Y.A.
Lieutenant (8-E. Bengla)
S. M. Imadul Haque (Shaheed)
28
N.Y.A.
2nd Lieutenant(1-E Bengal)
Muhammad Anwar Hossain (Shaheed)
29
S.S.-33
2nd Lieutenant(1-E Bengal)
Abu Moyeen Mohammad Samad (Shaheed)
30
B.J.O.-26507
Subedar (3-East Bengal)
Aftab Ali
31
B.J.O.-3932129
Subedar
Fayez Ahmed
32
B.J.O.-3933821
Naib Subedar
Belayet Ahmed (Shaheed)
33
B.J.O.-3933525
Naib Subedar
Moinul Hossain (Shaheed)
34
N.Y.A.
Naib Subedar (3-East Bengal)
Habibur Rahman
35
3931908
Havildar
Md. Shah Alam (Shaheed)
36
3940899
Havildar
Nurul Amin
37
1240160
Havildar
Nasir Uddin (Shaheed)
38
3937853
Naik
Abdul Mannan (Shaheed)
39
3937853
Lance Naik
Abdul Latif (Shaheed)
40
14561
Lance Naik
Abdus Sattar
40
6804756
Sepoy
Nurul Haque (Shaheed)
41
-
Sepoy (8-E. Bengal
Mohammad Shamsuzzaman (Shaheed)
42
-
Sepoy (9-E. Bengal
Shafil Min (Shaheed)
43
B.J.O.-893
Subedar
Fazlu Rahman (Shaheed)
44
B.J.O.-8772
Naib Subedar
Mujibur Rahman (Shaheed)
45
6613
Naik
Shafiuddin Choudhury (Shaheed)
46
17663
Sepoy
Abu Taleb (Shaheed)
47
0259
Sepoy
Mohammad Salahuddin Ahmed
48
13075
Sepoy
Anwar Hossain (Shaheed)
49
6040
Sepoy
Ershad Ali (Shaheed)

 

Bangladesh Navy

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
50
0148
Naval Commando
Mozahar Ullah
51
66059
L/S
Mohammad Zalal Uddin
52
66252
E-R-A
Mohammad Afzal Miah
53
640512
M-E-I
Mohammad Badiul Alam
54
620316
A-B
Mohammad Shafiul Mawla
55
67981
Sub/Lt.
Abdul Wahid Choudhury
56
0230
Sub/Lt.
Matiur Rahman
57
0072
Naval Commando
Mohammad Shah Alam

Bangladesh Air Force

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
58
B.D- 1300
Group Captain
A K Khandker
59
B.D. -3733
Wing Commander
M. K. Basar
60
4295
Squadron Leader
Sultan Mahmud
61
4921
Flight Lieutenant
Samsul Alam
62
4974
Flight Lieutenant
Badrul Alam
63
5121
Flight Officer
Liakat Ali Khan

 

Gonobahini

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
64
-
Captain
Shahabuddin
65
-
Captain
Akram
66
-
Captain
Sharfuddin
67
-
H. 2nd Lt.
M H Siddiqui
68
-
-
Abdul Kader Siddiqui

 

Post 1971

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
69
-
Brigaider General (Posthumous)
Jamil Uddin Ahmed


Bir Bikrom

Bir Bikrom (literally, "Valiant hero" in Bangla) is the third highest gallantry award in Bangladesh. Like the other gallantry awards, this was introduced immediately after the Bangladeshi Liberation War. Bir Bikrom was awarded to 175 fighters.

Contents

  • 1 Recipients
  • 2 Tables of Recipients
    • 2.1 Bangladesh Army
    • 2.2 Former EPR
    • 2.3 Bangladesh Navy
    • 2.4 Bangladesh Air Force
    • 2.5 Bangladesh Police
    • 2.6 Gonobahini
      • 2.6.1 Sector-2
      • 2.6.2 Sector-4
      • 2.6.3 Sector-5
      • 2.6.4 Sector-6
      • 2.6.5 Sector-7
      • 2.6.6 Sector-8
      • 2.6.7 Sector-9
      • 2.6.8 Sector-11
  • 3 See also
  • 4 References

Recipients

175 fighters have been awarded on 15 December, 1973 for their heroic actions at the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The government of Bangladesh declared the name of the awardees in Bangladesh Gazette on 15 December 1973. This list has been prepared on the base of the Gazette.

Tables of Recipients

Bangladesh Army

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
01
B.A.-6561
Major
Khandakar Najmul Huda
02
B.A.-7495
Major
Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim
03
B.A.-6924
Major
Shafaat Jamil
04
B.A.-6994
Major
Mainul Hossain Choudhury
05
B.A.-7221
Major
Geias Uddin Ahmed Choudhury
06
B.A.-7445
Captain
Mohsin Uddin Ahmed
07
B.A.-8343
Captain
Amin Ahmed
08
B.A.-8734
Major
M.A.R. Azam Choudhury
09
B.A.-8894
Major
Mostafizur Rahman
10
B.S.S.-10691
Captain
Hafizuddin Ahmed
11
B.S.S.-9706
Captain
Oli Ahmed
12
B.S.S.-9375
Major
Zafor Imam
13
B.S.S.-10334
Captain
A. Y. M. Mahfuzur Rahman
14
B.S.S.-9639
Captain
Mehdi Ali Imam
15
B.S.S.-11431
Captain
S. H. M. B. Noor Choudhury
16
B.S.S.-12307
Captain
Imamuzzaman
17
B.A.-12568
Lieutenant
S. I. M. Nur-un-nabi Choudhury
18
B.S.S.-11965
Lieutenant
Matiur Rahman
19
B.S.S.-12176
Lieutenant
Abdul Mannan (E-bengal)
20
B. A.-11970
Lieutenant
Golam Helal Morshed Khan
21

Lieutenant
Samsher Mobin Choudhury
22
S.S.-9
Lieutenant
Abdur Rouf
23
S.S.=25
2nd Lieutenant
Khandakar Azizul Islam  (Shaheed)
24

2nd Lieutenant
Mezbahuddin
25

Subedar Major
Abdul Zobbar Patwari
26

Subedar
Abdul Wahab
27

Subedar
Muhammad Abdus
28

Subedar
Abdul Karim (2-E.Bengal)
29

Subedar
Waliullah
30

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Amanullah  (Shaheed)
31

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Ibrahim
32

Naib Subedar
Vulu Miah
33

Naib Subedar
Abdus Salam  (Shaheed)
34

Naib Subedar
M A Mannan
35

Naib Subedar
Abdul Haque Bhuyan
36

Naib Subedar
I. A. R Ahmed (Shaheed)
37

Naib Subedar
Abdul Malek (EPRHQ-3)
38

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Shahidullah Bhuyan  (Shaheed)
39

Naib Subedar
Abdul Hashem
40

Naib Subedar
Abdul Haque
41

Naib Subedar
Nur Ahmed Gazi (Shaheed)
42

Naib Subedar
Md. Ashraf Ali Khan (Shaheed)
43

Naib Subedar
Shamsul Haque (Sector-4)
44

Naib Subedar
Jonab Ali (2-E. Bengal)
45

Havildar
Nurul Haque
46

Havildar
Abdul Halim (Shaheed)
47

Havildar
Nur Islam (Shaheed)
48

Havildar
Rafiqul Islam (Shaheed)
49

Havildar
Ruhul Amin (Shaheed)
50

Havildar
F Afzal Hossain
51

Havildar
Rangu Miah (Shaheed)
52

Havildar
Shakim Uddin (Shaheed)
53

Havildar
Golam Rasul (Shaheed) (Sector-4)
54

L. Havildar
Taher
55

Naik
Afsar Ali
56

Naik
Abdul Haque
57

Naik
Abdul Motallib (Shaheed)
58

Naik
Nuruzzaman (Shaheed)
59

Naik
Touhid Ullah
60

Naik
Abdul Rahman
61

Naik
Md. Mohor Ali (Shaheed)
62

Naik
Abdul Khaleque (Former Navy)
63

Naik
Abdur Rob Choudhury (Late) (Sector-2)
64

Lance Naik
Mohammad Mostofa (Late)
65

Lance Naik
Sirajul Islam (Shaheed)
66

Lance Naik
Abdur Barek
67

Lance Naik
Abul Kalam Azad
68

Lance Naik
Delwar Hossain (Shaheed)
69

Sepoy
Tara Uddin (Shaheed)
70

Sepoy
Abdul Aziz (1-E. Bengal)
71

Sepoy
Md. Sanaullah (Shaheed)
72

Sepoy
Golam Mostofa Kamal (Shaheed)
73

Sepoy
Khandakar Rezanur Hossain (Shaheed)
74

Sepoy
Haidar Ali (2-E.Bengal)
75

Sepoy
Abul Kalam Azad (Shaheed)
76

Sepoy
Jamaluddin (Shaheed)
77

Sepoy
Abdur Rahim (Shaheed)
78

Sepoy
Nurul Islam Bhuyan (Shaheed)
79

Sepoy
Abdul Mannan (Shaheed)
80

Sepoy
Ali Ashraf (Shaheed)
81

Sepoy
Mujibur Rahman (Shaheed)
82

Sepoy
Abdul Haque (9-E.Bengal)
83

Sepoy
Ramjan Ali (Shaheed)(10-E.Bengal)
84

Havildar
Hemayet Uddin
85

Mojahid
Nurul Islam (Shaheed)
86

Mojahid
Abdul Khaleque (9-E.Bengal)
87

Mojahid
Sirajul Haque (Shaheed)
88

Mojahid
Ramij Udding (Late) (2-E.Bengal)
89

Mojahid
Captain Md. Tomijuddin (Shaheed)
90

Ansar
Elahi Box Patwari (Shaheed) (2nd Sector)

Former EPR

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
91

Subedar Major
Fakaruddin Ahmed Choudhury
92

Subedar
Khandakar Motiur Rahman
93

Subedar
Moniruzzaman (Shaheed)
94

Naib Subedar
Sultan Ahmed
95

Naib Subedar
Syed Amurzzaman
96

Havildar
Abdul Hakim
97

Havildar
Jumma Miah(Shaheed)
98

Havildar
Abdus Salam
99

Havildar
Nazim Uddin
100

Havildar
U. K. Ghing
101

Havildar
Anis Mollah
102

Havildar
Mohammad Kamruzzaman Khalifa (Shaheed)
103

Havildar
Arob Ali
104

Havildar
Mohammad Nurul Islam (Shaheed)
105

Havildar
Tarique Ullah (Shaheed)
106

Havildar
Delwar Hossain(Shaheed)
107

Havildar
Azizul Haque(Shaheed)
108

Havildar
Mohammad Mozaffar Ahmed (Shaheed)
109

Havildar
Mohmmad Abul Kashem (Shaheed)
110

Naik
Mohmmad Abdul Malek (Shaheed)
111

Naik
Shah Ali (Shaheed)
112

Lance Naik
Mofizuddin Ahmed (Shaheed)
113

Lance Naik
Zillur Rahman (Shaheed)
114

Lance Naik
Lilu Miah (Shaheed)
115

Lance Naik
Mohammad Nizamuddin (Shaheed)
116

Lance Naik
Abul Khaer
117

Lance Naik
Abdus Sattar (Shaheed)
118

Sepoy
Abul Basar (Shaheed)
119

Sepoy
Abdul Mjid
120

Sepoy
Ansar Ali (Shaheed)
121

Sepoy
Mohammad Ullah (Shaheed)
122

Sepoy
Atahar Ali Mollik (Shaheed)
123

Sepoy
Abul Motaleb
124

Sepoy
Seraj Miah (Shaheed)
125

Sepoy
Abdul Aziz
126

Sepoy
Muhammad Mohsin

 

Bangladesh Navy

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
127
B.A-4

Amin Ullah Sheikh
128
A.B.

Mohammad H Mollah (Shaheed)
129
A.B

Mohammad Mohibullah (Shaheed)
130
R.E.N.-1

Fariduddin Ahmad (Shaheed)
131
Seaman

Mohammad Abdul Malik
132
S.T.W.D.-1

Mohammad Abdur Rahman
133
Submerinar

A. W. Choudhury (Sector-1)
129
M.E.-1

Abdul Rakib Miah (Shaheed)

 

Bangladesh Air Force

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
135

Flight Sergeant
Syed Monsur Ali

 

Bangladesh Police

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
136

Police Constable
Abdul Mannan (Shaheed)
137

Police Constable
Touhid (Shaheed)
138

Former P.S.P
Mahbubuddin Ahmed

 

Gonobahini

Sector-2

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
139

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammad Shahjahan Siddiqui, Naval Commando
140

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
kabiruzzaman (Shaheed), Naval Commando
141

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Maya, 56, Vojohori Saha Street, Dhaka-1
142

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Abdul Kashem Bhuyan (Shaheed)
143

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Abdus Salam, 1/3, Dilu Road, Dhaka
144

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Abdus Sabur Khan, Father-Sujat Ali Khan
145

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Swapan, 13, Koilash Ghosh Lane, Dhaka
146

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Kazi Kamaluddin, 13, Koilash Ghosh Lane, Dhaka
147

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Shafi Imam Rumi (Shaheed), Kshanika House, 355 Elephant Road, Dhaka
148

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Jewel, Father-Abdul Wazed Choudhury
149

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Bodiul Alom (Shaheed), 57 Monipuri, Tejgaon, Dhaka
150

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammad Abu Bakar son of Abu Jaffar (Shaheed), House-3, Road-96, Gulshan, Dhaka

Sector-4

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
151

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammad Shahabuddin(Shaheed), Father-Kamaluddin
152

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mahmud Hossain (Shaheed), Father-Yakub Ali
153

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Nilmoni Sarkar (Shaheed), Father-Atul Sarkar

Sector-5

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
154

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Jagat Joity Das(Shaheed), Father-Jitendra Chandra Das
155

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Sirajul Islam (Shaheed), Father-Mokbul Hossain
156

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Yamin Choudhury
157

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Matiur Rahman

 

Sector-6

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
158

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Abdus Samad (Shaheed)

 

Sector-7

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
159

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
A.T.M. Hamidul Hossain, 12 Shamoli, Robin Bhaban, 50 No. Dhaka
160

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mr. Siddique (Shaheed), Professor Sarda Cadet College, Village-Deluakhani, Post-Vangabari, District-Pabna
161

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammd Idris Ali Khan

 

Sector-8

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
162

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammd Khalil Saifuddin (Shaheed)
163

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
M. A. Mannan, Village-Alphadanga, Thana-Faridpur, District-Faridpur
164

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Toufiq-E-Elaji Choudhury (Former CSP), Father-Late Delwar Choudhury, Village-Nateshahar, Thana-Bianibazar, District-Sylhet

 

Sector-9

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
165

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Khijir, Father-Jahan Box Tarofdar, Village-Char Kartikdia, Post-Kartikdia, District-Khulna
166

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Altaf Hossain (Shaheed), Father-Hazi Sobhan Molla, Village+Post-Vabanipur, District-Barishal

 

Sector-11

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
167

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammad Yusuf
168

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammad Khurram (Shaheed), Father-Mubarak Hossain
169

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Jamal Uddin (Shaheed), Father-Mr. Nasir Uddin
170

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Amanullah Kabir (Shaheed), Father-Ahmad Ali Master
171

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Bur Islam, Father-Md. Rafiquddin
172

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Mohammad Shawkat Ali Sarkar, Father-Ijab Uddin Sarkar
173

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Father-Kashem Uddin Sarkar
174

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Md. Shahjahan, Father-Jasim Uddin Sarkar
175

Gonobahini/Mukti Bahini
Md. Habihur Rahman, Father-Moulavi Mod. Kashem Ali, Village-Madurapara, Sologosta, Post-Ghatail, District-Tangail




Bir Protik

  • 1 Recipients
    • 1.1 Bangladesh Army
    • 1.2 Mukti Bahini (Freedom Fighters)
  • 2 See also
  • 3 References

Bir Protik
Awarded by Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
Type
Medal
Awarded for
Bravery/Courage
Status
Awarded in 15 December 1973
Statistics
First awarded
15 December 1973
Total awarded
426
Posthumous
awards
60
Distinct
recipients
426
Precedence
Next (higher)
Bir Bikrom
Individual
equivalent
426
Bir Protik (Symbol of Bravery or Idol of Courage) is the fourth highest gallantry award in Bangladesh .

 

Recipients

This award was declared on 15 December 1973. A total of 426 people have received the award so far, all for their actions during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.
The following list has been prepared as of the Bangladesh Gazette of 15 December 1973.

 

Bangladesh Army

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
01

Captain (Provisional)
Mohammad Abdul Matin
02

Captain
Abu Taher Salauddin
03

Major
Mohammad Abdul Matin
04

Major
Mohammad Matiur Rahman (2nd East Bengal)
05

Major
M Ain Uddin
06

Major (Temporary Lieutenant Colonel)
Akbar Hossain
07

Major (Temporary Lieutenant Colonel)
Mohammad Nazrul Haque
08

Major (Temporary Lieutenant Colonel)
Mohammad Bazlul Gani Patwari
09

Captain
Mohammad Abdur Rashid
10

Captain
Mohammad Shahidul Islam
11

Captain
Syed Moinuddin Ahmed
12

Captain
Aktar Ahmed
13
BA - 234
Captain
Mohammad Anwar Hossain
14

Captain
Delwar Hossain
15

Captain
Sitara Begum
16

Lieutenant
Didarul Alam
17

Lieutenant
A. M. Rashid Chowdhury
18

Lieutenant
Syed Muhammad Ibrarhim
19

Lieutenant
M. Harunur Rashid
20

Lieutenant
Ibne Fazal Badiuzzaman (Shaheed)
21

Lieutenant
Mohammad Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan
22

Lieutenant
Mohammad Humayun Kabir Chowdhury
23

Lieutenant
Mohammad Shafiuqullah
24

Second Lieutenant
Kazi Sazzad Zahir
25

Second Lieutenant
Mahbubul Alam
26

Second Lieutenant
Sayed Ahmed
27

Second Lieutenant
Alik Kumar Gupta
28

Second Lieutenant
Momtaz Hasan
29

Second Lieutenant
K. M. Abu Bakar
30

Second Lieutenant
Mizanur Rahman Mia
31

Second Lieutenant
Taher Ahmed
32

Second Lieutenant
Monzur Ahmed
33

Second Lieutenant
Samsul Alam
34

Second Lieutenant
Jomil Uddin Ahsan
35

Second Lieutenant
Waker Hossain
36

Second Lieutenant
Masudur Rahman
37

Second Lieutenant
Zahirul Haque Khan
38

Second Lieutenant
Waliul Islam
39

Second Lieutenant
Shawkat Ali
40

Second Lieutenant
Modasir Hossain Khan
41

Second Lieutenant
Rawshan Iazdani Bhuyan
42

Second Lieutenant
Jahangir Usman
43

Subedar-Major
Mohmmad Nurul Haque
44

Subedar-Major
Haris Mia
45

Subedar-Major
Abdul Majid
46

Subedar-Major
Mohmmad Idris Miah
47

Subedar-Major
Nurul Azim Choudhury
48

Subedar-Major
Mohmmad Ali (8th East Bengal)
49

Subedar
Mohmmad Abdul Bashar (Shaheed)
50

Subedar
Abdul Jabbar
51

Subedar
Ali Newaz
52

Subedar
Mohmmad Hafiz
53

Subedar
Jalal Ahmed
54

Subedar
Mohmmad Samsul Haque
55

Subedar
Abdul Hakim
56

Subedar
Karam Ali Hawladar
57

Subedar
Badiur Rahman
58

Subedar
Abdul Jabbar
59

Subedar
Abul Hashem (Sector-2)
60

Subedar
Chand Miah (2nd East Bengal)
61

Subedar
M. A. Matin Choudhury (Sector-4)
62

Subedar
Rochhib Ali (Sector-4)
63

Subedar
Aftab ali (Sector-11)(3rd East Bengal)
64

Naib Subedar
Abdul Latif
65

Naib Subedar
Abul Hashem
66

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Abdul Momin (Shaheed)
67

Naib Subedar
Aftaf Hossain Khan
68

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Nazimuddin
69

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Hossain
70

Naib Subedar
Mongol Miah
71

Naib Subedar
Abdul Jabbar Khan
72

Naib Subedar
Kabir Ahmed
73

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Abdul Quddus
74

Naib Subedar
Geias Uddin
75

Naib Subedar
Mohammad Rezaul Haque
76

Naib Subedar
Monsur Ali
77

Naib Subedar
Abdul Jabbar
78

Naib Subedar
Hossain Ali Talukdar
79

Naib Subedar
Muslim Uddin (AC 8 East Bengal)
80

Naib Subedar
Munir Ahmed Khan (11 East Bengal)
81

Naib Subedar
Kazi Md. Akmal Ali (3rd Sector)
82

Naib Subedar
Ali Akbar (3rd East Behngla)
83

Naib Subedar
Abul Kalam (3rd East Bengla)
84

Naib Subedar
Abdul Hai (1st East Bengla)
85

Naib Subedar
Tofael Ahmed (2nd East Bengla)
86

Havildar
Saifuddin
87

Havildar
Ruhul Amin
88

Havildar
Abdul Gafur
89

Havildar
Abdus Sobhan
90

Havildar
Wazed Ali Miah
91

Havildar
Safiqul Islam
92

Havildar
Abdul Latif
93

Havildar
Mojammel Haque
94

Havildar
Abu Taher
95

Havildar
Siraj
96

Havildar
Abdul Awal
97

Havildar
Monirul Islam
98

Havildar
Musleh Uddin
99

Havildar
Abdul Malek
100

Havildar
Saheb Miah
101

Havildar
Nur Mohammad (Shaheed)
102

Havildar
Mohammad Mokbul Hossain (1 East Bengal)
103

Havildar
Munuir Ahmed (2nd East Bengal)
104

Havildar
Mizanur Rahman (2nd East Bengal)
105

Havildar
Sona Miah
106

Naik /Clerk
Md. Billaluddin
107

Naik
Saidul Alam
108

Naik
Abdul Wahab
109

Naik
Shahidullah
110

Naik
Abdul Baten
111

Naik
Sirajul Haque (Shaheed)
112

Naik
Abdul Nur (Shaheed)
113

Naik
Mohammad Nasiruddin
114

Naik
Sikandar Ahmed
115

Naik
Golam Mostofa
116

Naik
Abul Kalam
117

Naik
Abul Bashar
118

Naik
Tazul Islam
119

Naik
Abdur Razzak
120
3936508
Lance Naik
Alimul Islam
121
3936450
Lance Naik
Alimul Islam
122

Lance Naik
Matiur Rahman
123
4949096
Lance Naik
Shirajul Islam (Shaheed)
124

Lance Naik
Shahabuddin (Shaheed)
125

Lance Naik
Shah Jalal Ahmed
126

Lance Naik
Ali Ahmed
127

Lance Naik
Abdul Mannan
128

Lance Naik
Mohammad Idris
129

Sepoy
Abdul Mannan
130

Sepoy
Bashir Ahmed
131

Sepoy
Abul Hashem
132

Sepoy
Abdul Baten
133

Sepoy
Abdul Khaleque
134

Sepoy
Abdul Majid
135

Sepoy
Md. Amin Ullah
136

Sepoy
Golam Mostofa
137

Sepoy
Mohammad Siddique
138

Sepoy
A B M Faisul Alam
139

Sepoy
Mohammad Ismail (Shaheed)
140

Sepoy
Khalilur Rahman
141

Sepoy
Mohammad Mostafa
142

Sepoy
Abdul Wahid
143

Sepoy
Faruk Ahmed Patwary
144

Sepoy
Enamul Haque
145

Sepoy
Mohammad Ezazul Haque Khan
146

Sepoy
Asad Mia (8 East Bengal)
147

Sepoy
Delwar Hossain (9 East Bengal)
148

Sepoy
Abdul Kader (9 East Bengal)
149

Sepoy
Abdul Baset (9 East Bengal)
150

Sepoy
Kazi Morshedul Islam (9 East Bengal) (Shaheed)
151

Sepoy
Abdul Quddus (9 East Bengal) (Shaheed)
152

Sepoy
Abu Muslim (Sector-2)
153

Sepoy
Rafiqul Islam (Sector-2)
154

Sepoy
Bazlu Mia (Sector-4) (Shaheed)
155

Sepoy
Kamal Uddin (Sector-4)
156

Sepoy
Amir Hossain(Shaheed) Vill+Post Kalika Prosad, Dist-Mymensingh
157

Corporal
Syed Rezwan Ali

 

Mukti Bahini (Freedom Fighters)

Sl. no.
ID no.
Rank (At the time of award)
NAME
1

Commander (Sub-sector: Jalalpur)
Mahbubur Rob Sadi (Sector-4)
2

FF
Giasuddin (Sector-2)
3

FF
Golam Dastagir Gazi (Sector-2)
4

FF
Musurul Alam Dulal (Sector-2)
5

FF
Jainul Abedin Khan (Sector-2)
6

FF
Md. Zia (Sector-2)
7

FF
Md. Zakir (Sector-2)
8

FF
Mahmud (Sector-2)
9

FF
Sheikh Abdul Mannan (Sector-2)
10

FF
Habibul Alam (Sector-2)
11

FF
A. M. Md. Ishak (Sector-2)
12

FF
Wiliam Abraham Simon Ouderland (Sector-2)
13

FF
Md. A. Aziz (Sector-2)
14

FF
Shaheed Khairul Zahan (Sector-2)
15

FF
Shaheed Selim Akbar (Sector-2)
16

FF
Shaheed Abdullahel Baki (Sector-2)
17

FF
Mozammel Haq (Sector-2)
18

FF
Shaheed Nawab Mia (Sector-2)
19

FF
Shaheed Manik (Sector-2)
20

FF
Shamsul Alam Fitr (Sector-2)
21

FF
Anwar Hossain (Sector-2)
22

FF
Shaheed Alamgir Karim (Sector-2)
23

FF
Shaheed Momin (Sector-2)
24

FF
Shaheed Abul Hossain (Sector-2)
25

FF
Shaheed Md. Shahidullah (Sector-2)
26

FF
Shaheed Nurul Haq (Sector-2)
27

FF
Rafiqul Islam (Sector-2)
28

FF
Maminul Haq Bhuiyan (Sector-2)
29

FF
Md. Ibrahim Khan (Sector-2)
30

FF
Sheraj Uddin Ahmed (Sector-2)
31

FF
Md. Tayeb Ali (Sector-2)
32

FF
Abdus Samad (Sector-2)
33

FF
Bahar Uddin Reja (Sector-2)
34

FF
Jamal (Sector-2)
35

FF
Md. Ashraf (Sector-3)
36

FF
Abdus Salam (Sector-3)
37

FF
Rafiqul Haq (Sector-3)
38

FF
Nurul Islam Khan Pathan (Sector-3)
39

FF
Shahjahan Mazumdar (Sector-3)
40

FF
A. K. M. Mirajuddin (Sector-3)
41

FF
Shaheed Mahfujur Rahman (Sector-3)
42

FF
Amir Hossain (Sector-3)
43

FF
Mafizul Islam (Sector-4)
44

FF
A. K. M. Atiqul Islam (Sector-4)
45

FF
Ashraful Huq (Sector-4)
46

FF
Shaheed Rafiq Uddin (Sector-4)
47

FF
Shaheed Nuruddin Ahmed (Sector-4)
48

FF
Sirajul Islam (Sector-5)
49

FF
Md. Abdul Majid (Sector-5)
50

FF
Faqruddin Chowdhury (Sector-5)
51

FF
A. M. Halim (Sector-5)
52

FF
Enamul Haq Chowdhury (Sector-5)
53

FF
hMd. Idris (Sector-5)
54

FF
Md. Badruzzaman (Sector-5)
55

FF
Hasir Uddin Sarkar (Sector-5)
56

FF
Abdul Hai Sarkar (Sector-5)
57

FF
M. A. Sarkar (Sector-6)
58

FF
A. K. M. Mahbubur Rahman (Sector-7)
59

FF
Md. Mohsin Ali Sardar (Sector-7)
60

FF
Md. Azad Ali (Sector-7)
61

FF
Md. Nur Hamim (Sector-7)
62

FF
Md. Badiuzzaman (Sector-7)
63

FF
Golam Azad (Sector-8)
64

FF
Shaheed Sadar Uddin Ahmed (Sector-8)
65

FF
Shaheed Abdur Rahim (Sector-8)
66

FF
Shaheed Nasir Uddin (Sector-8)
67

FF
Shaheed Habibur Rahman (Sector-8)
68

FF
Shaheed Nazrul Islam (Sector-8)
69

FF
Shaheed Harunur Rashid (Sector-8)
70

FF
Abdul Malek (Sector-9)
71

FF
Hajari Lal Tarafder (Sector-9)
72

FF
Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed (Sector-9)
73

FF
Ishtiaq Hossain (Sector-9)
74

FF
Shaheed K. M. Rafiqul Islam (Sector-9)
75

FF
Shaheed Didar Ali (Sector-9)
76

FF
Md. Golam Yakub (Sector-9)
77

FF
Abdul Alim (Sector-9)
78

FF
Kuddus Mollah (Sector-9)
79

FF
Anwar Hossain (Sector-9)
80

FF
Rafiqul Ahsan (Sector-9)
81

FF
K. S. A. Mohiuddin (Manik) (Sector-9)
82

FF
Rafiqul Islam (Sector-9)
83

FF
Debdas Bisshash (Khakan) (Sector-9)
84

FF
A. T. M. Khaled (Sector-11)
85

FF
Zahirul Haq Munshi (Sector-11)
86

FF
Md. Anisur Rahman (Sector-11)
87

FF
Abdul Majid (Sector-11)
88

FF
Masammat Taraman Begum (Sector-11)
89

FF
Bhuiyan (Sector-11)
90

FF
Nur Islam (Sector-11)
91

FF
Bashir Ahmed (Sector-11)
92

FF
Anisul Haq Akhand (Sector-11)
93

FF
Matiur Rahman (Sector-11)
94

FF
Md. Zahurul Haq Munshi (Sector-11)
95

FF
Abul Kalam (--)
96

FF
Md. Mahbub Elahi Ranju (--)
97

FF
A. T. M. Khaled (--)
98

FF
Md. Nurul Haq (Sector-11)
99

FF
Abdullah Al Mahmud (Sector-11)
100

FF
Bahar (Sector-11)
101

FF
Syed Sadaruzzaman (Sector-11)
102

FF
Belal Hossain (Sector-11)
103

FF
Md. Enayet Hossain (Sector-11)
104

FF
Waresat Hossain (Sector-11)
105

FF
Shakhawat Hossain (Sector-11)
106

FF
Mizanur Rahman Khan (Sector-11)
107

FF
Habibur Rahman Talukdar (Sector-11)
108

FF
Khorshed Alam Talukdar (Sector-11)



References
  1. Dangerous Liaison by Raza Naeem, Frontline, Volume 26 - Issue 15, July 18–31 2009
  2. Why the Movement for Bangladesh Succeeded: A military appreciation by Mumtaz Iqbal
  3. Genocide in Bangladesh, 1971. Gendercide Watch.
  4. Emerging Discontent, 1966-70. Country Studies Bangladesh
  5. Anatomy of Violence: Analysis of Civil War in East Pakistan in 1971: Military Action: Operation Searchlight Bose S Economic and Political Weekly Special Articles, October 8, 2005
  6. The Pakistani Slaughter That Nixon Ignored , Syndicated Column by Sydney Schanberg, New York Times, May 3, 1994
  7. Crisis in South Asia - A report by Senator Edward Kennedy to the Subcommittee investigating the Problem of Refugees and Their Settlement, Submitted to U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, November 1, 1971, U.S. Govt. Press.pp6-7
  8. India and Pakistan: Over the Edge. TIME Dec 13, 1971 Vol. 98 No. 24
  9. Pakistan Defence Journal, 1977, Vol 2, p2-3
  10. Bangladesh Liberation Armed Force, Liberation War Museum, Bangladesh.

Further reading

  • Muhammad Ayub, An Army Its Role and Rule (A history of the Pakistan Army from Independence to Kargil 1947-1999), ISBN 0-8059-9594-3.
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