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Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh)

Chief of Army Staff (CAS) (Bengali: সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান, romanized: Sēnābāhinī pradhāna) of Bangladesh Army, also known as Army Chief, is the commander of the Bangladesh Army.[1][2][3] The Chief of Army staff has been a four-star rank since 2007. Prior to that, the Chief of Army Staff was a three-star rank from till 2007. During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, Maj. Gen. M. A. Rab (then Lt Col) was the Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Army under the combined command of Bangladesh Forces which served as the origins of Bangladesh Armed Forces and General M. A. G. Osmani was the Commander-in-Chief.[4] After the War of Independence, Bangladesh Army was officially reverted to the Ministry of Defense in 1972, and Maj. Gen. K. M. Shafiullah was appointed the Chief of Army Staff.[5] The incumbent Chief of Army Staff is General Waker-uz-Zaman.[6][7]

The office of the Chief of Army Staff functions from the Army Headquarters, which is located in the Dhaka Cantonment.[8]

History

The post traces its roots back to the Commander-in-Chief of the Mukti Bahini during the Liberation War of Bangladesh and it was held by Colonel (later General) MAG Osmani. On 25 March 1971, after long negotiations and actions failed to bring desired results, Pakistan Army launched a military crackdown on its own citizens, Pakistani military planners conducted this through Operation Searchlight, which spread across the country in main centers. During the first watch of 26 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh.[9][10][11] Another declaration was read out on 27 March 1971, by then Major Ziaur Rahman, on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman over radio at Kalurghat Radio Stn., Chittagong City.[12] As a result, in March 1971, many Bengali soldiers in the Pakistan Army revolted and joined the guerilla movement, Bangladesh Forces. Colonel (later General) Mohd. Ataul Goni Osmani served as the Commander-in-Chief and Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) Mohd. Abdur Rab as the Chief of Staff.[4]

Bangladesh Army came into being officially in January, 1972. In April 1972, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman then decided to change the commanding posts of the three services which was combined and commanded by General M. A. G. Osmani. On 7 April 1972, Maj. Gen. K M Shafiullah, was made the chief of army staff.[13][14]

Chief of Army Staff's rank was upgraded to lieutenant-general in 1978 and then to four-star general in 2007.[15][16]

Appointees

The following table chronicles the appointees, to the office of the Chief of Army Staff or its preceding positions since the liberation war of Bangladesh.[17][18][19]

Commander-in-Chief, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)

Chief of staff, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)

Chiefs of Army staff (1971–present)

Source:[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "List of Chief of Army Staff". Bangladesh Army. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Major General Moeen U Ahmed new Army Chief". bdnews24.com. 5 June 2005. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  3. ^ "Bangladesh appoints Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan as new Army Chief". First Post. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Stripping ex-army chief Mustafizur Rahman of rank illegal: HC". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Shafiullah: The blunted General". 15 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Chief of Army Staff - Bangladesh Army". Bangladesh Army.
  7. ^ "General Waker-Uz-Zaman takes charge as Chief of Army Staff". The Financial Express. 23 June 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Gen Mubeen takes over army". The Daily Star. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  9. ^ "Bangabandhu Shadhinota Ghoshonar Telegraphic Barta". BDNews24. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  10. ^ সংযোজনস্বাধীনতার ঘোষণা: বেলাল মোহাম্মদের সাক্ষাৎকার. bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "March 27, 1971: Zia makes radio announcement on independence". The Daily Star. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  13. ^ "TIMELINE". The Daily Star (newspaper). 15 August 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Shafiullah new chairman of sector commanders forum". 19 September 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  15. ^ Mascarenhas, Anthony. Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. Hodder and Stoughton.
  16. ^ "Bangladesh Armed Forces elite promoted". Dawn. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Mukti Bahini". Banglapedia.
  18. ^ "O General, My General". The Daily Star. 1 September 2016.
  19. ^ "Bir Uttam Abdur Rab's 46th death anniversary Sunday". The Business Standard. 13 November 2021.
  20. ^ a b Indian Army List for July 1941. Government of India Press. 1941. p. 1000.

External links