| Chief of Army Staff | |
|---|---|
| সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান | |
 Flag of the Chief of Army Staff | |
| Bangladesh Army | |
| Type | Service chief |
| Abbreviation | CAS |
| Residence | Shena Bhaban |
| Seat | Army Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment |
| Appointer |
Prime Minister with President advice and consent |
| Term length | 3 years, or at the age of 60, whichever is earlier. |
| Precursor | Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Forces |
| Formation | 12 April 1971 |
| First holder | Major General K. M. Shafiullah |
| Website | www.army.mil.bd |
Chief of Army Staff (CAS) (Bengali language: সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান ) of Bangladesh Army, also known as Army Chief is the highest-ranking officer of the Bangladesh Army.[1][2] The Chief of Army staff has been a four-star rank since 1997. Maj. Gen. M. A. Rab was the Chief of Staff of the Mukti Bahini which served as the origins of Bangladesh Army.[3] Bangladesh Army was officially formed in 1972 and Maj. Gen. K. M. Shafiullah become the first Chief of Army Staff. The current Chief of Army Staff is Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed The Chief of Army Staff functions from the Army Headquarters, which is located in the Dhaka Cantonment.[4]
History[]
The Bangladesh Army traced its roots back to the East Bengal Regiment composed solely of youths from East Bengal, would be East Pakistan. However, on 25 March 1971, Pakistan Armed Forces led a militant crackdown on the Bengali civilians through Operation Searchlight and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh. As a result, in March 1971, many Bengali soldiers in the Pakistan Army revolted and joined the guerilla movement, Mukti Bahini also known as Bangladesh Forces. Colonel Mohd. Ataul Goni Osmani served as the Commander-in-Chief and Major General Mohd. Abdur Rab as the Chief of Staff.[3]
Bangladesh Army came into being officially in January, 1972. In April, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman then decided to change the commanding posts of the three services which was combined and commanded by General M. A. G. Osmani. On 7 April, Maj. Gen. K M Shafiullah, was made the chief of army staff.[5][6]
Chief of Army Staff's rank was upgraded to lieutenant-general in 1978 and then to four star general in 2007.[7][8]
List of Chiefs of Army staff[]
| № | Chief of Army staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major general Kazi Muhammad Shafiullah Bir Uttom, psc (born 1934) | 7 April 1972 | 25 August 1975 | 3 years, 140 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 2 | Major general Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | 25 August 1975 | 3 November 1975 | 70 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 3 | Major general Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, psc (1937–1975) | 3 November 1975 | 7 November 1975 † | 4 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| (2) | Lieutenant general Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | 7 November 1975 | 28 April 1978 | 2 years, 172 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 4 | Lieutenant general Hussain Mohammad Ershad ndc, psc (1930–2019) | 29 April 1978 | 30 August 1986 | 8 years, 123 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 5 | Lieutenant general Atiqur Rahman G+ (born 1931) | 31 August 1986 | 30 August 1990 | 3 years, 364 days | Corps of Artillery | |
| 6 | Lieutenant general Nuruddin Khan psc | 31 August 1990 | 30 August 1994 | 3 years, 364 days | Corps of Engineers | |
| 7 | Lieutenant general Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim Bir Bikrom, psc (born 1946) | 31 August 1994 | 19 May 1996 | 1 year, 262 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 8 | Lieutenant general Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman psc | 27 May 1996 | 23 December 1997 | 1 year, 217 days | Corps of Engineers | |
| 9 | Lieutenant general Mustafizur Rahman Bir Bikrom, ndc, psc, C (1941–2008) | 24 December 1997 | 23 December 2000 | 2 years, 365 days | Corps of Engineers | |
| 10 | Lieutenant general Mohammed Harun-Ar-Rashid Bir Protik, rcds, psc | 24 December 2000 | 15 June 2002 | 1 year, 173 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 11 | Lieutenant general Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury awc, psc (born 1948) | 16 June 2002 | 15 June 2005 | 2 years, 364 days | Frontier Force Regiment | |
| 12 | General Moeen Uddin Ahmed ndc, psc (born 1953) | 16 June 2005 | 15 June 2009 | 3 years, 364 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 13 | General Mohammed Abdul Mubeen ndc, psc (born 1955) | 16 June 2009 | 25 June 2012 | 3 years, 9 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 14 | General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan psc (born 1955) | 26 June 2012 | 25 June 2015 | 2 years, 364 days | Corps of Infantry | |
| 15 | General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Haq ndc, psc (born 1958) | 26 June 2015 | 25 June 2018 | 2 years, 364 days | Corps of Armoured | |
| 16 | General Aziz Ahmed SBP, BSP, BGBM, PBGM, BGBMS, psc, G (born 1961) | 25 June 2018 | 24 June 2021 | 2 years, 362 days | Corps of Artillery | |
| 17 | General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed OSP, ndu, psc, PhD (born 1963) | 24 June 2021 | Incumbent | 4 years, 159 days | Corps of Infantry |
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ "Major General Moeen U Ahmed new Army Chief". 5 June 2005. https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2005/06/05/major-general-moeen-u-ahmed-new-army-chief.
- ↑ "Bangladesh appoints Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan as new Army Chief". First Post. http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/bangladesh-appoints-iqbal-karim-bhuiyan-as-new-army-chief-335940.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Stripping ex-army chief Mustafizur Rahman of rank illegal: HC". http://bdnews24.com/politics/2008/02/19/stripping-ex-army-chief-mustafizur-rahman-of-rank-illegal-hc.
- ↑ "Gen Mubeen takes over army". 15 June 2009. http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=17508.
- ↑ "TIMELINE". 15 August 2015. http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/timeline-127150.
- ↑ "Shafiullah new chairman of sector commanders forum". 19 September 2014. https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/09/19/shafiullah-new-chairman-of-sector-commanders-forum.
- ↑ Mascarenhas, Anthony. Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. Hodder and Stoughton. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17259516-bangladesh.
- ↑ "Bangladesh Armed Forces elite promoted". 25 May 2007. https://www.dawn.com/news/248554.
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