ORGANIZATION OF BANGLADESH OPERATIONAL SECTORS AND DIFFERENT FORCES
OPERATIONAL SECTORS
Organizing military outfits during wartime was a challenging task considering the time and resource limitations. So, Bangladesh forces HQ made the best use of its resources by utilizing the military people who are otherwise recognized for succeeding in their missions timely and efficiently. These work habits are a definite result of their maturity, integrity and determination. As such, active and former military personnel were involved in organizing operational sectors and other forces. Other experts, volunteers, politicians also joined in this process. Because of the simultaneous raising of units including posting, while recording names, in most cases one person has been considered in one unit. The area of responsibility of various sectors including the location of sector and Force HQ is shown in Fig. 5.1.
Sector 1 (Chittagong and CHT)
1. General. On the night of 25 March Bengali army, EPR and police members took up arms against the Pakistan military. Bengal regt troops and EPR soldiers played a significant role in the initial resistance phase in Chittagong area. After the Teliapara Summit of 4 April, Chittagong became one of four original regions to fight the war. 8 East Bengal, 11, 14 and 17 Wgs of EPR Sector 6, police, Ansar, Mujahids and others composed the fighting strength of this sector.
2. Commander. Maj Ziaur Rahman commanded this sector from April to June. After the Sector Comd’s conference in July 1971, this geographical area came to be known as Sector 1.On 7 July when the Z Force was formed, Maj
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Zia took over as comd, handing over the responsibility of this sector to Maj Rafiqul Islam.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. Harina, Khagrachari, CHT.2
5. Forces. There were a total of 2,100 regular troops (300 army, 1,500 EPR, 200 police and 100 navy and air force members) and approximately 20,000 Gono Bahini members. 6. Sub-sectors. This sector was divided into five following sub-sectors:
a. Rishimukh Sub-sector. Capt Shamsul Huda commanded this Subsector. After his death on 4 November, Capt AYM Mahfuzur Rahman took over the command.
b. Sreenagar Sub-sector. Initially this was commanded by Capt Oli Ahmed, but later on, when he left as BM of Z Force, Lt Munsurul Amin took over the command.
c. Manughat Sub-sector. Capt AYM Mahfuzur Rahman joined this Sub-sector in November. Later on, Lt Fazlur Rahman Farooq took over the command.
d. Tabalchari Sub-sector. Subedar Ali Hossain commanded this Subsector.
e. Dimagiri Sub-sector. One Subedar provided leadership of this Sub
sector.
7. Officers. The following officers worked in Sector-1 at different times during the war:
a. Maj Rafiqul Islam
b. Flying Officer (Flg Offr) Shakhawat Hossain Khan
c. Capt Enamul Haque Chowdhury
d. Engineer AKM Ishaque
e. MO Dr Rejaul Haque
f. Political Organizer Abdul Hannan
g. MNA Ataur Rahman Kaiser
h. Political Coordinator Nurul Islam Chowdhury
i. Political Coordinator MPA Fayezur Rahman
j. Political Coordinator MPA Mosharraf Hossain
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k. Capt Shamsul Huda
l. Capt AYM Mahfuzur Rahman
m. Lt Raquibul Islam
n. Lt Fazlur Rahman Farooq
0. Lt Mansurul Islam
p. Lt Showkat Ali
q. Capt Harun Ahmed Chowdhury
r. Officer Cadet Jhulon Kanti Paul
s. Officer Cadet Abdul Hamid
t. Officer Cadet Mir Mahamudul Haque
Sector 2 (Dhaka, Faridpur, Comilla, Noakhali and Feni)
1. General. The core of Sector 2 comprised 4 East Bengal from Comilla cantonment, EPR and members from other forces from the surrounding areas. After 25 March, sub-units of 4 East Bengal from different places concentrated in Brahmanbaria and defied their West Pakistani superiors arresting the CO and organized resistance in Comilla-Brahmanbaria area. Because of its proximity to Dhaka and India, this sector remained operationally very vibrant throughout the war.
2. Commander. Maj Khaled Mosharraf commanded this Sector from April to October 1971, and then Maj ATM Haider provided leadership until December 1971.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. Sector HQ was located in Melaghar, Tripura, India.”[5]
5. Forces. The strength of sector troops and Guerrillas was about 6,000 and 35,000 respectively.[6]
6. Sub-sectors. This sector was further divided into eight sub-sectors.[7]
a. Rajnagar Sub-sector. Capt Zafar Imam commanded this Sub-sector.
b. Mantali Sub-sector. Capt Md Ainuddin was in charge of this Subsector.
c. Rangamura Sub-sector. Lt Imamuz Zaman commanded this subsector.
d. Nirvoypur Sub-sector. Lt Mahbubur Rahman was in command.
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e. Konaban Sub-sector. Capt Abdul Gaffar Halder commanded this Sub-sector.
f. Salda Nadi Sub-sector. Capt Abdus Salek Chowdhury was the Subsector Commander.
g. Matinagar Sub-sector. Lt Didarul Alam led this Sub-sector.
h. Dhanpur Sub-sector. Capt Akbar Hossain and Lt AK Fazlul Kabir commanded this Sub-sector.
7. Officers. The following officers worked in this sector:
a. Lt Col Khaled Mosharraf
b. Maj ATM Haider
c.Engineer Momin Uddin Ahmed
d. MO Nazim Uddin Ahmed
e.MO Capt Akhter Ahmed
f. Account Officer Mewa Billah
g. Organizer MNA Khorshed Alam
h. Political Coordinator MPA Abdur Rashid Engineer
i. Political Coordinator MNA Nurul Haque
j. Maj Md Ainuddin
k. Capt M Gaffar Halder
l. Capt Mahabubur Rahman
m. Maj Abdus Salek Chowdhury
n. Capt Zafar Imam
0. Lt AK Fazlul Kabir
p. Capt Abdul Halim Chowdhury
q. Capt Showakat Ali
r. Lt Humayan Kabir
S. Lt Didarul Alam
t. Flt Lt Kamal Uddin Ahmed
u. Officer Cadet Zillur Rahman
V. Officer Cadet Anwarul Haque Bhuiyan
w.Officer Cadet Ekramul Haque Khandakar
x.Officer Cadet M Solaiman
y. Officer Cadet Abdul Kader
Z. Officer Cadet Jahangir Osman
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aa. Officer Cadet Mominul Huq
bb. Officer Cadet Miran Hamidur Rahman
cc. Officer Cadet Akbar Yousuf
dd. Officer Cadet Hafizullah
ee. Officer Cadet M Mahamudul Masud
ff. Officer Cadet Jalaluddin Siddiqui
gg. Officer Cadet SM Habibullah
hh. Officer Cadet Rezaur Rahman
ii. Officer Cadet Kamrul Haque Swapan
jj. Officer Cadet Anisur Rahman
kk. Officer Cadet Kazi Kamal Uddin
Sector 3 (Gazipur, Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj and Habiganj)
1. General. 2 East Bengal formed the nucleus of Sector 3. Like other Bengal regts, 2 East Bengal was also split and deployed in Mymensingh, Tangail, Joydebpur and Gazipur Ordnance Factory. On 23 March the Bengali Co Lt Col Masudul Hasan was removed putting in his place a pro-Pakistani Lt Col Quazi Raquib Uddin. After 25 March, entire unit revolted against the Pakistanis under the leadership of Maj Safiullah.
2. Commander. Maj Safiullah commanded this Sector until September 1971. In September 1971, Maj AN Nuruzzaman took over the command and continued until December 1971.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and worked out as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. It was initially located at Mantala, Bangladesh and later on shifted to Hejamura, Tripura.[9]
5. Forces. The sector had about 2,000 regular troops and approximately 25,000 Gono Bahini members.[10]
6. Sub-sectors. The whole sector was divided into ten sub-sectors as follows:[11]
a. Ashrambari Sub-sector. This Sub-sector was first commanded by Capt M Azizur Rahman and later on by Capt Ejaz Ahmed Chowdhury.
b. Baghaibari Sub-sector. Capt Ejaz Ahmed Chowdhury commanded this Sub-sector.
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C. Hatkala Sub-sector. Capt Matiur Rahman led this Sub-sector.
d. Simla Sub-sector. Capt MA Matin commanded this Sub-sector.
e. Panchabati Sub-sector. Capt ASM Nasim was in command of this Sub-sector.
f. Mantala Sub-sector. Capt Shubid Ali Bhuiyan commanded this Sub-sector.
g. Bijoynagar Sub-sector. Lt Shamsul Huda Bacchu headed this Subsector.
h. Kalachara Sub-sector. Lt Munsurul Islam Mazumdar commanded this Sub-sector.
i. Kalkalia Sub-sector. Capt Golam Helal Morshed Khan was the Subsector comd.
j. Bamutia Sub-sector. 2/Lt Sayeed Ahmed and later on Lt Sadeq
Hossain commanded this Sub-sector.
7. Officers. There had been quite a good number of officers in this sector. They were as follows:[12]
a. Maj KM Safiullah
b.Maj AN Nuruzzaman
c.Adjutant Lt Syed Mohammad Ibrahim
d.Civilian Staff Officer Nuruddin Mahmud Kamal
e. Assistant Staff Officer Mohammad Alkas, Political
f. Civilian Staff Officer Ashique Ahmed
g.MO Lt Ahmed Ali
h. Account Officer MA Mahi
i.Political Coordinator MNA Khorshed Alam
j.Political Coordinator, MPA Ramij Uddin Ahmed
k.Political Coordinator, MPA Lutful Hye Shacchu
l. Capt Ejaj Ahmed Chowdhury
m. Maj Matiur Rahman
n.Maj Abdul Matin
0. Maj ASM Nasim
p.Maj Shubid Ali Bhuiyan
q.Capt Golam Helal Morshed Khan
r. Lt Sadeq Hossain
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S. Maj Moinul Hossain Choudhury
t. Lt Nasir Uddin
u. Lt Shamsul Huda Bachchu
V. Lt Munsurul Islam Mazumder
Sector 4 (Part of Sylhet and Moulvibazar)
1. General. During March 1971, Maj Chitta Ranjan Dutta was on leave at Habiganj. After 25 March, Lt Col (retired) Rob, MCA, Manik Chowdhury, MCA, some members of Ansar, Mujahid, police, EPR, students and farmers jointly organized resistance against the Pakistan military. By mid-April when 9 and 16 Divisions were brought in to Bangladesh, one more brigade was deployed in this sector. Under increasing pressure, the local forces crossed over to India.
2. Commander. Maj Chitta Ranjan Dutta commanded this sector throughout the war.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and prepared according to the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. The Sector HQ was initially located at Karimganj and later shifted to Masimpur, Assam, India.[13]
5. Forces. There were roughly 1,500 regular troops and 9,000 Gono Bahini members. [14]
6. Sub-sectors. For smooth conduct of operations, the sector was divided into five sub-sectors as follows:[15]
a. Jalalpur Sub-sector. Gono Bahini member Mr Mahabubur Rab Saadi commanded this Sub-sector.
b. Baropunji Sub-sector. Capt Abdur Rob led this Sub-sector.
C. Kukital Sub-sector. Flt Lt Nurul Qader initially commanded this Sub-sector. Later on, Capt Shariful Huq Dalim joined this Sector after defecting from West Pakistan and commanded it until he was injured.
d. Kailash Shahar Sub-sector. Lt Ali Waqqiuzzaman commanded this Sub-sector.
e. Kamalpur Sub-sector. Capt Khairul Anam commanded it. He also joined the war defecting from Pakistan military. Apart from the above sub-sectors, other camps were also set up based on
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particular requirements.
7. Officers. The officers of this sector were:[16]
a. Maj Chitta Ranjan Dutta
b. Flt Lt ATM Ataur Rahman
c.Political Organizer MNA Montakim Chowdhury
d.Political Coordinator MPA Azizur Rahman
e.Political Leader Mahabubur Rab Saadi
f. Maj Abdur Rob
g. Capt Shariful Huq Dalim
h. Flt Lt Nurul Qader
i. Capt AM Khairul Anam
j. Lt Zahirul Huq Khan
k. Lt Ali Waqqiuzzaman
l. Lt Niranjan Bhattacharya
m. Lt Dost Mohammad Sikder
n. Lt Abdul Jalil
o.Lt MMK Jalalabadi Officer Cadet Chowdhury
p.Mohammad Ali
q.Officer Cadet Moktadir Ali
r.Officer Cadet Jibon Kanai Das
s.Officer Cadet Chandra Kanta Das
t. Officer Cadet Abdul Moktadir
Sector 5 (Part of Habiganj, Sunamganj and Sylhet)
1. General. Most bills (vast water bodies) and waterlogged regions came under the purview of Sector 5. Towards Indian side, there were numerous hills suitable for training and organizing guerrilla forces. Because of unique geographical features, there had been no permanent military cantonments/ units in this area.
2. Commander. Maj Mir Shawkat Ali commanded this sector. Initially, he fought in Chittagong region but later on joined in Sector 5.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. Banstala (north of Chhatak).[17]
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5. Forces. About 800 regulars and 7,000 Gono Bahini members.[18]
6. Sub-sectors. The entire area was divided into six sub-sectors as follows. [19]
a. Muktapur Sub-sector. Subedar Najir Hossain commanded this Sub-sector.
b. Dawki Sub-sector. Subedar BR Chowdhury was its commander.
c. Shola Sub-sector. Capt AS Helal Uddin was the Sub-sector Comd.
d. Bholaganj Sub-sector. 2/Lt Taheruddin Akhunjee led this Subsector.
e. Balat Sub-sector. Capt Abu Taher Salahuddin commanded this.
f. Barachara Sub-sector. Capt Muslim Uddin controlled it.
7. Officers. This sector had the following officers.[20]
a. Maj Mir Shawkat Ali
b. Flt Lt AKM Fazlur Rahman
C. Civilian Staff Officer Mohammad Mostafa
d.MO Nazrul Haque
e.Political Organizer, MNA Abdul Haque
f.Political Coordinator, MPA Abdur Jahur Mian
g. Political Coordinator, MNA Dewan Obaidur Raja Chowdhury
h.Subedar Nazir Hossain
i.Subedar BR Chowdhury
j.Capt AS Helal Uddin
k.Political Organizer Quies Chowdhury
l.. Lt ANM Alamgir
m. Lt Taheruddin Akhunjee
n. Capt Abdul Mottalib
o.MPA Suranjit Sengupta
p. Flt Lt Mahfuzur Rahman Bhuiyan
q.Maj Muslem Uddin
r.Lt Abdur Rouf
s. Lt Mahabubur Rahman
t. Lt MM Khaled
u. Lt Swarit Kumar Lala
V. Lt Partho Sarothee Roy
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Sector 6 (Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat)
1. General. This is the northernmost operational sector. EPR 10 Wg was located here with Bengali Capt Nowajesh Uddin as the Assistant Wg Comd. When the local 23 Brigade Comd Brig Abdullah Khan Mallik and EPR Sector Comd non-Bengali Lt Col Tarique Rasul were conspiring against the Bengalis, Capt Nowajesh managed to get out of the cantonment and took up the defence on the bank of Tista River. This force formed the initial combat strength of Sector 6. Within this sector, there was one 50-bed Hospital at Tetulia where Dr Atiar Rahman was in charge. Another 50-bed Hospital was established at Burimari which Capt Hossain looked after. A few female students of Rangpur Medical College also volunteered to perform the duties of nurses. Injured Freedom Fighters initially sent to these hospitals for first aid and minor operations. Only severe cases were sent to Bagdogra CMH and Jalpaiguri Civil Hospital.
2. Commander. Wg Comd M Khademul Bashar commanded this sector. After independence, he became Chief of Air Staff and died in 1976 in an aircrash.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. Burimari, Patgram, Rangpur.[21]
5. Forces. This sector had 7,000 sector troops and 9,000 Gono Bahini members.[22]
6. Sub-sectors. There were five sub-sectors as under:[23]
a. Vajanpur Sub-sector. Many officers commanded this Sub-sector such as Capt Nazrul Haque, Squadron Leader (San Ldr) Sadar Uddin and Capt Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan who joined the war defecting from Pakistan.
b. Patgram Sub-sector. Initially, EPR junior leaders commanded this Sub-sector and later on the command was taken over by Capt Matiur Rahman.
c. Shahebganj Sub-sector. Capt Nowajesh Uddin was the Sub-sector Comd.
d. Moglaihat Sub-sector. Capt QMM Delowar Hossain was appointed the Sub-sector Comd.
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e. Chilahati Sub-sector. Flt Lt Iqbal Rashid commanded this Sub sector.
7. Officers. Many other officers operated in this sector whose names are mentioned below:[24]
a. Wg Comd M Khademul Bashar
b. Lt Abdul Matin Chowdhury
C. MO Capt Moshaeb Uddin
d. Political Organizer MNA Matiur Rahman
e. Political Coordinator MPA Fazlul Karim
f. Maj Nazrul Haque
g. San Ldr Sadar Uddin
h. Capt Matiur Rahman
i. Maj Nowajesh Uddin
j. Capt QMM Delowar Hossain
k. Flt Lt Iqbal Rashid
1. Capt Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan
m. Lt Mohammad Abdullah
n. Lt Masudur Rahman
0. Lt Ashfaqus Samad
p. Officer Cadet Abdus Salam
r.Officer Cadet Ashrafuddoula
S. Officer Cadet Khurshid Alam Basunia
t. Officer Cadet Aminul Islam
u.Officer Cadet Mofijur Rahman
V. Officer Cadet Mesbah Uddin Ahmed
w.Officer Cader Syed Abul Bashar
x.Officer Cadet Motahar Hossain
y. Officer Cadet Firojur Rahman
z. Officer Cadet Abdul Jalil
Sector 7 (Rangpur, Dinajpur, Rajshahi and Pabna)
1. General. Since March 1971, Pakistani 25 Punjab from 23 Brigade positioned itself in the outskirts of Rajshahi. EPR 4 Wg HQ was also located in Rajshahi. 6 and 7 Wgs of this sector were located in Chapai Nowabganj and
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Naogaon respectively. On the night of 25 March, one company from 25 Punjab was sent to Pabna while the rest of the regt controlled Rajshahi. EPR troops of 7 Wg Naogaon revolted under Wg Comd Maj Nazmul and Assistant Wg Comd Capt Giasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury. After strengthening the defence around the Wg HQ, Maj Nazmul sent one company each to Rajshahi and Bogra to fight the Pakistanis. On 28 March, one company of 7 Wg under Capt Gias with nearly one thousand people marched towards Bogra and another company joined Capt Abdur Rashid of the then Ayub Cadet College (now Rajshahi Cadet College). By then contact was made with Chapai Nowabganj. By 1 April, under the leadership of Capt Gias and Capt Rashid of EPR, Ansars, students and general people attacked Rajshahi and forced the Pakistanis to move out of the city. Later the Pakistanis brought about a brigade-size reinforcement from Dhaka and by 14 April managed to take over Rajshahi.
2. Commander. Maj Nazmul Haque was the first Sector Comd. He died in a road accident during the war in July 1971, and after his death, Maj Qazi Nuruzzaman was appointed Sector Comd from August 1971 onwards.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. Tarangapur, Poschim Dinajpur, India.[25]
5. Forces. There were about 2,500 regular troops and 12,500 Gono Bahini members.[26]
6. Sub-sectors. The sector had the following Sub-sectors:[27]
a. Malan Sub-sector. Capt Mohiuddin Jahangir first commanded it, and after his death, junior leader from EPR took charge.
b. Tapan Sub-sector. This was initially commanded by Maj Nazmul Haque and subsequently by an EPR junior leader.
c. Mehedipur Sub-sector. Initially, Subedar Elias was the Sub-sector Comd and later on Capt Mohiuddin Jahangir commanded this Subsector.
d. Hamzapur Sub-sector. Lt Iddris commanded this Sub-sector.
e. Anginabad Sub-sector. A Gono Bahini member commanded this Sub-sector.
f. Sheikhpara Sub-sector. Capt Abdur Rashid was the Sub-sector Commander
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g. Thokrabari Sub-sector. Subedar Moazzem Hossain was in charge. i. Lagola Sub-sector. Capt Giasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury led this Sub-sector. j. Bholahat Sub-sector. 2/Lt Rafiqul Islam commanded this Sub sector.
7. Officers. The following officers operated in this Sector. [28]
a. Lt Col Kazi Nuruzzaman
b. Maj Nazmul Haque
c. Administrative Officer Teacher Mofij Uddin Ahmed
Staff Officer Businessman Mozammel Hossain
e. Induction Officer Maj Moksul Hossain Chowdhury
f. MO Mohammad Azad
g.Political Organizer, MNA Professor Abu Sayeed
h.Political Coordinator, MNA Azizur Rahman
i. Political Coordinator, MNA Mujibor Rahman Akkelpuri
j. Political Coordinator, MPA Syed Haider Ali
k. Political Coordinator, MPA Taherul Islam Khan
l. Maj Giasuddin Ahmed Chowdhury
m. San Ldr Wahidur Rahim
n.Capt Mohiuddin Jahangir
0. Lt Abdul Awal Chowdhury
p.Engineer Mohammad Iddris
q.Maj Abdur Rashid
r. Lt Rafiqul Islam
s. Subedar Moazzem Hossain
t.Lt Bazlur Rashid
u. Lt Mohammad Saifullah
V. Lt Abdul Quaiyum Khan
W. Lt Aminul Islam
x. Lt Kaiser Haque
y.Officer Cadet ALM Fazlur Rahman
z.Officer Cadet AB Tazul Islam
aa.Officer Cadet Mosharraf Hossain
bb. MO Dr Mizanur Rahman
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Sector 8 (Meherpur, Jessore, Jhenaidah, Narail and Chuadanga)
1. General. After 25 March 1971, the Bengali soldiers of EPR 4 and 5 Wgs of Jessore Sector picked up arms much earlier than other did to fight against the Pakistanis. 4 Wg of Chuadanga along with people from all classes under Maj Osman organized strong resistance and wiped out a company of 27 Baluch. 1 East Bengal fought the Pakistani soldiers and made their way out of Jessore cantonment to join the war under Capt Hafiz. They got reorganized around Maslia BOP. Later this unit was merged with Maj Osman’s contingent and fought the Pakistanis in the southwestern region.
2. Commander. Maj Abu Osman Chowdhury commanded this sector until August 1971 when Maj Abul Manzur took over the charge.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. The HQ of this sector was housed in the six-storied complex of Nehru Hospital in Kallyani – a beautiful modern satellite town about 25 kilometres from Indo-Bangladesh border in the district of Chabbish Pargana, India.[29]
5. Forces. In this sector, there were 2,000 regular troops and 7,000 guerrillas. [30]
6. Sub-sectors. For smooth conduct of operations, the sector was organized into the following seven sub-sectors each having approximately company strength soldiers:[31]
a. Shikarpur Sub-sector. Capt Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and Lt Jahangir commanded this Sub-sector.
b. Lalbazar Sub-sector. Assistant Wg Comd, 4 Wg Capt AR Azam Chowdhury commanded this Sub-sector.
c. Banpur Sub-sector. Capt M Mustafizur Rahman was in command.
d. Bayra Sub-sector. Capt Khandakar Nazmul Huda led this Subsector. For his involvement in Agartala Case, he had been dismissed from the service. He joined the war to serve the cause of Bangladesh.
e. Benapole Sub-sector. It was initially under Capt Abdul Halim and later on when Capt Halim joined as Z Force Signal Officer, Capt Tawfiq took over the command.
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f. Hakimpur Sub-sector. A lecturer in Bengali in Jhenaidah Cadet College, Capt M Shafiqullah took over this Sub-sector. He was a given field rank during the war for his invaluable contribution.
g. Bhomra Sub-sector. Initially, Capt ATM Salauddin commanded this Sub-sector followed by Capt Mahbub Uddin Ahmed. He was SDPO
of Jhenaidah and was also given field rank.
7. Officers. The officers of this sector were:[32]
a. Maj Abu Osman Chowdhury
b. Lt Col Abul Manzur
c.Adjutant Flt Lt Jamal Uddin Ahmed
d. Staff Officer Maj Shamsuddin Ahmed
e. Staff Officer Lawyer Mujibur Rahman
f. MO Mohammad Sadeq
g.Political Coordinator, MNA Azizur Rahman Akkas
h. Political Coordinator, MPA Abdur Rauf Chowdhury
i. Political Coordinator, MPA Asabul Haque
j. Political Organizer, Raja Mia
k. Capt Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury
l. Lt Alik Kumar Gupta
m. Capt Mahbub Uddin Ahmed
n. Maj M Mustafizur Rahman
0. Maj AR Azam Chowdhury
p. Maj Khandakar Nazmul Huda
q. Capt Abdul Halim
r. Capt M Shafiqullah
s. Capt ATM Salah Uddin
Capt ATM Abdul Wahab
u. Flt Lt Abul Kalam
V. Lt Khandakar Nurun Nabi
W. Lt Mohammad Mostafa
X. Lt MH Siddique Akhtar Hossain
y.Lt Mohammad Jahangir
Z. Officer Cadet Rowshan Yazdani Bhuiyan
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Sector 9 (Satkhira, Barisal, Barguna and Bhola)
1. General. Before 25 March 1971, the Pakistan military did not have any base in Barisal area. The communication system of this area was equally backward for which both military access and activities within this region were limited. It was not until the end of March that the people of this area could apprehend the situation outside Barisal, particularly that in Dhaka. Many officers including Maj Jalil, Capt Mehedi Ali Imam, Capt Shahjahan Omar, Capt Beg, Capt Ziauddin who had been on leave responded to the call of the motherland by organizing the Freedom Fighters in the region to fight against the Pakistan military.
2. Commander. Maj Mohd Jalil Miah commanded this sector throughout the war.
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. Taki (near Indian border), Satkhira, Khulna.[33]
5. Forces. This sector did not have any regular troops but had around 20, 000 Freedom Fighters.[34]
6. Sub-sectors. This sector had three (3) sub-sectors as follows:[35]
a. Taki Sub-sector. Capt Shahjahan Omar commanded it.
b. Hingalganj Sub-sector. Capt Nurul Huda was the Sub-sector Commander.
C. Shamshernagar Sub-sector. It was initially commanded by Flight Sergeant Salimullah and later on taken over by Mahfuz Alam Beg, Navy(also known as Capt Beg).
7. Officers. Other officers of the sector were:[36]
a. Maj Mohd Jalil Miah
b. Flight Sergeant Fazlul Haque
c. Staff Officer Businessman Mofijur Rahman
d.Assistant Staff Officer Lawyer Obaidur Rahman Mostafa
e.MO Mohammad Shahjahan
f. Political Organizer, MNA Abdul Gafur
g. Political Organizer, MNA Nurul Islam Manzur
h.Induction Officer Sultan Uddin Ahmed
i. Capt Nurul Huda
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j.Mahfuz Alam Beg, Navy
k. Teacher Md Shahjahan
l. Lt ASM Shamsul Arefin
m. Lt AH Ziauddin
n. Capt Shahjahan Omar
0. Lt Mehedi Ali Imam
p. MPA Dr Munsur Ali
q.Businessman Foham Uddin Ahmed
r. Lt Moinul Islam
S. Lt Ahsan Ullah
t. Lt Sachin Karmakar
u. Officer Cadet Shah Alam Talukder
v.Officer Cadet Ataur Rahman
w.Officer Cadet Jamshed Hossain
x.Officer Cadet Liaqat Ali Khan
y. Officer Cadet Asadul Haque
z. Officer Cadet Isa Gazi
aa. MO Dr Rafiqul Islam
bb. MO Dr Mujibur Rahman
cc. MO Dr Saidul Hossain
Sector 10 (Comprised all the Maritime Zones and Naval Commandos) This sector did not have any territorial boundary. It comprised the Naval Commandos only. These specially trained Naval Commandos were sent to different sectors for carrying out commando operations against the enemy’s naval assets in small groups. During the operations, these groups would come under the control of the Sector Comds in whose area the naval operations were conducted. After successful completion of maritime activities, they used to fall back to their original sector, i. e. , Sector 10.
Sector 11 (Sherpur, Mymensingh and Tangail)
1. General. The importance of greater Mymensingh to both the Pakistanis and the Freedom Fighters was initially not acknowledged. As such until June this area remained very quiet and out of focus. Until August this area was supported by Indian FJ sector. On 25 July, Maj Abu Taher defected from
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Pakistan and joined the liberation war in this sector. A very professional officer qualified in Ranger course from the US in those days. By the time Taher joined, this area had started getting attention from both the forces. On 25 August, when Maj Taher with 150 Freedom Fighters attacked Kamalpur Pakistani position and insisted that Bangladesh forces HQ open this sector, it was established.
2. Commander. Maj Abu Taher commanded this sector till November 1971. Towards the end of November 1971, Maj Taher got injured in an operation and lost a leg and the next senior most officer Capt Aziz took over the charge and continued until the end of the war.[37]
3. Area of Responsibility. Area of responsibility is shown in Fig. 5.1 and drawn as per the guidelines of Appendix M.
4. Headquarters. Mahendraganj, Meghalaya, India.[38]
5. Forces. 3,000 regular soldiers and 17,000 Gono Bahini members.[39]
6. Sub-sector. This sector had eight sub-sectors as follows.[40]
a. Mainkerchar Sub-sector. Flt Lt Hamidullah Khan commanded it.
b. Mahendraganj Sub-sector. Lt Mizanur Rahman Miah provided leadership to this Sub-sector. c. Purakhasia Sub-sector. Lt Hashem commanded this Sub-sector.
d. Dalu Sub-sector. Lt Taher and Lt Kamal led this Sub-sector.
Bagmara Sub-sector. A junior leader from EPR commanded it.
f. Shibbari Sub-sector. A junior leader also ran this Sub-sector.
g. Rongra Sub-sector. Capt Motiur Rahman commanded this Subsector. He was locally known as Capt Hamid.
h. Maheshkhali Sub-sector. Lt Mannan commanded this Sub-sector.
7. Officers. Following officers fought in this sector:[41]
a. Maj Abu Taher
b. Capt Abdul Aziz
c.Flt Lt Hamidullah Khan
d.Adjutant Lt Abdul Mannan
e.Staff Officer Engineer Mohammad Ali
f.MO Abdullah Al Mahmud
g. Political Coordinator, MPA Taherul Islam
h. Politician Latif Mirza
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j. Engineer Abul Hashem
k. Lt Syed Kamal Uddin
Capt Motiur Rahman
m. Lt Asaduzzman
n. Student Leader Kader Siddique
o. Lt Khairul Alam
p. Lt Taher Ahmed
q.Lt Shamsul Alam
r. Lt Mizanur Rahman Miah
s. Officer Cadet Fazlul Haque
t. Officer Cadet Akhteruzzaman
OPERATIONAL BRIGADES AND CORPS OF ARTILLERY
Z Force Brigade
Z Force Brigade was the first regular infantry brigade of Bangladesh Army. It was decided to raise this Brigade in May 1971, but it finally came into being on 7 July 1971 in Tura Hills situated opposite Mymensingh under Lt Col Ziaur Rahman as the Brigade Comd. Capt Oli Ahmed was chosen as the BM, Capt Sadeq Hossain was the Deputy Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster General (DAA & QMG), Capt Halim was the Brigade Signal Officer, and Dr Abdul Hye served as the MO.42 The Brigade comprised 1 East Bengal, 3 East Bengal, 8 East Bengal, and later on, a field battery named ‘Rowshan Ara Battery’ was raised with six 105 mm pack howitzers.43 It also had a signal company under its command. Teldhala of Meghalaya State of India was provisionally selected as its base for training and reorganization. 1, 3 and 8 East Bengal Regts assembled at Teldhala on 24 June, 26 June and in the first week of August respectively. By the end of July, these units were assigned to independent tasks of attacking enemy positions.
In the first week of May 1971, when Col Osmani came to inspect 1 East Bengal, he ordered Capt Hafizuddin to recruit 600 youths and revamp the battalion. After recruitment, the unit was ordered to move to Teldhala to form part of Z Force. Since there were no officers from 1 East Bengal except Capt Hafiz, on 13 July Maj Moinul from 2 East Bengal was asked to take over the command of 1 East Bengal. He commanded this battalion from June
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to August. Maj M Ziauddin – an ex-officer of the battalion who fled from Pakistan to join the war took over command. Maj Moinul then took over 2 East Bengal and Maj Safiullah, on promotion to the rank of Lt Col got busy in assuming the leadership of S Force Brigade. Z Force Brigade initially operated in Sector 11 area and later on switched to larger Sylhet district which was the operational area of 4 and 5 Sectors. This brigade came under severe criticism when it launched a frontal attack on Kamalpur BOP that annihilated more than 60% of the attacking troops (own forces).[45]
Capt Salahuddin Mumtaz was martyred in this operation displaying extraordinary courage. Capt Bazlul Gani Patwari was the 21C while Flt Lt Liaqat Ali Khan had performed the job of both Adjutant and QM. Capt Mahbubur Rahman commanded A Company, Capt Hafizuddin Ahmed commanded B Company, C Company Comd was Lt Abdul Quaiyum Chowdhury, and D Company Comd was Capt Bazlul Gani Patwari. Besides them, 2/Lt Anisur Rahman and 2/Lt M Wakar Hassan made a significant contribution to various operations.
On 10 June, the advance party of 3 East Bengal with 4 JCOs and 119 other ranks under Capt Mohammad Anwar Hossain moved from Hilli to Teldhala. The battalion reached Teldhala on 14 June 1971. The Battalion was reorganized and trained under Z Force. Maj Shafaat Jamil commanded 3 East Bengal. Capt Mohsin Uddin Ahmed was the 21C, and Flt Lt Ashraful Alam was the Adjutant. Dr Wahed was the MO. Capt Anwar commanded A Company, B Company was commanded by Capt Akbar Hossain while the C and D Company were commanded by Lt SI Nurun Nabi Khan. Apart from these officers, 2/Lt Fazle Hossain, Flt Lt Ashraful Alam and 2/Lt Manzur served in this battalion.
In June 1971, Maj Zia took the available personnel of 8 East Bengal, elements of EPR and Freedom Fighters to Tura and reorganized the force. [46] During the formation of Z Force, Maj AJM Aminul Haque was appointed the CO. Maj Chowdhury Khalequzzaman commanded A Company, B Company was commanded by Maj Amin Ahmed Chowdhury and Capt Sadeq Hossain; Lt Modasser Hossain Khan commanded the C Company, Lt Mahabubul Alam commanded D Company. Besides Lt Imdadul Haque, Lt Waliul Islam, Lt Munibur Rahman and Lt KM Abu Bakar made significant contributions in operational activities.
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K Force Brigade
K Force was the Second Bangladeshi Brigade which was raised in September 1971 under Lt Col Khaled Mosharraf. This Brigade comprised 4 East Bengal, 9 East Bengal, 10 East Bengal, 1 Field Battery (Mujib Battery), K Force Signal Company and Bangladesh Hospital. This Brigade was named after its comd with its HQ located in Melaghar, Agartala, India. Sometime in the last week of September 1971, this Brigade was raised out of the troops of 4 East Bengal, 9 and 10 East Bengal under the direct supervision of the Brigade Comd. Before committing them on the ground, a three-week elaborate training session was conducted. The Brigade HQ comprised the Comd Lt Col Khaled, Maj Abdul Matin who was the BM and Maj ATM Haider was appointed as the Special Warfare Officer. When Lt Col Khaled Mosharraf got injured in the battle of Kashba, Maj Abu Salek Chowdhury took over as Comd. This Brigade operated within the operational area of Sector 2
Maj Gaffar Halder commanded 4 East Bengal. The soldiers of original C Company and part of HQ Company were retained with 4 East Bengal.47 Lt AK Fazlul Haque was the 21C. Lt Mamtaj Hasan was the A Company Comd, Lt Fazlur Rahman was B Company Comd, Lt Hashmi Mostafa Kamal commanded C Company, and Lt Jamiluddin Ahsan was the D Company Comd.[48]
Maj Md Ainuddin was the CO of 9 East Bengal. This unit was raised with the troops of D Company and part of B Company of 4 East Bengal.[49] Dr Farhan Uddin was the MO. Lt Harunur Rashid was A Company Comd; Capt Ashraf Hossain commanded B Company. Lt Khandakar Azizul Islam commanded the C Company (martyred), and Lt Shahriar Huda commanded D Company.[50]
Maj Zafar Imam was the CO of 10 East Bengal. This Battalion was raised with the remaining soldiers of A Company and B Company.[51] With him he had Capt Shahidul Islam as the 21C, Dr Ishrarul Haque as the MO, Lt Imamuz Zaman as Comd of A Company, Lt Syed Mizanur Rahman the Comd of B Company, Lt Didar Atower Hossain was C Company Comd, and Lt Mokhlesur Rahman was the D Company Comd.[52]
Besides these infantry battalions, there was the first Mujib Battery of which Capt Abdul Aziz Pasha was the Acting OC. This Battery had other officers –
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Capt Anwarul Alam and Lt Bazlul Huda. Capt Shahidul Islam worked as the Brigade Signal Officer as his additional responsibility. By the first week of October, all the battalions were ready to carry out offensive operations.
S Force Brigade
Like other brigades, this Brigade was also named after the first letter of its Comd Lt Col KM Safiullah. Although it was decided to raise this Brigade in September 1971, it was formally raised on 1 October 1971, in a place called Hejamura, Tripura, India.[53] The under command outfits included 2 East Bengal, 11 East Bengal and S Force Signal Company. Maj Safiullah asked the senior most Company Comd Maj Moinul to take over 2 East Bengal, and another Company Comd Maj Nasim to raise 11 East Bengal taking A Company and part of HQ Company from 2 East Bengal. These two under-strength battalions provided the workforce of S Force Brigade. In the Brigade HQ, Capt Azizur Rahman was the BM, Capt Abul Hossain was the DAA & QMG, Flt Lt Abdur Rauf was the Signal Officer, and Capt Moktar Kamal Chowdhury was the MO. This Brigade operated within Sector 2 area.
Maj Moinul Hossain Chowdhury was his CO of 2 East Bengal. Maj Md. Matiur Rahman was the 21C. Lt Syeed Ahmed was the Adjutant, and Lt Abul Hossain was the MO. Maj Matiur Rahman commanded A Company, B Company was under Lt Ibne Fazal Badiuzzaman. When Lt Badiuzzaman was martyred in war, Lt Selim Kamrul Hasan took over the command. Lt Syed Mohammad Ibrahim commanded C Company and Capt Golam Helal Morshed Khan commanded D Company.
On the other side, 11 East Bengal was commanded by Maj Abu Saleh Mohammed Nasim. Maj Matin took over as CO on 06 December 1971 when Maj Nasim was injured. Maj Shubid Ali Bhuiyan was the 21C. Lt Nasiruddin was appointed the Adjutant, and Capt Moinul Hossain was the MO.[54] Besides the A Company led by 2/Lt Shamsul Huda Bacchu, B Company was placed under Maj Shubid Ali Bhuiyan, C Company under 2/Lt Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan and D Company was placed under 2/Lt Abul Hossain. Flt Lt Abdur Rauf was made the S Force Signal Company Comd.
These newly raised battalions were deficient in the trained manpower.
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About 1,200 freshly recruited soldiers were trained in October and November to augment these units.
Corps of Artillery
The nucleus of artillery corps took shape during the liberation war and began its journey on 22 July of 1971.[55] Artillery is considered indispensable to the infantry when it comes to traditional employment of forces. As such with the raising of the brigade-size forces, it was fundamentally important to have artillery fire support to make these forces effective in the conventional role. Appreciating this pressing need two batteries initially named ‘Mujib Battery (now 1 Fd Regt) and 2 Field Battery (now 2 Fd Regt) were raised.
The first battery was raised on 22 July 1971 with six 3.7-inch howitzers at Konaban under Sector 2 and was placed in direct support to 4 East Bengal of K Force. Indian 59 Mountain Regt took over the responsibility of making it operational, and it was considered the fourth battery of the same regt as ‘59 Mujib Mountain Battery. Capt Mahadev of Indian Army took over its command with Lt Kapoor as its Gun Position Officer (GPO). On 22 August Capt Aziz Pasha took over the command and organized the Battery into two troops under Subedar Azizur Rahman and Subedar Sirajul Islam. These JCOs were from infantry. Musharraf Hossain, a student of Class XII of Dhaka Jagannath College, later on, replaced Subedar Aziz. Afterwards, Capt Anwarul Azim and Lt Bazlul Huda joined the Battery. On 1 April 1972, this Battery was reorganized as 1 Fd Regt.
2 Fd Battery was officially raised on 10 December 1971 with six 3.7-inch howitzers at Kukitola camp in India. But this Battery practically started its operational activities since mid-November 1971. Maj Khandakar Abdur Rashid took over the command of this Battery assisted by 2/Lt Sajjad Ali Zahir. Maj Rashid was commissioned in the then Pakistani 2 Fd Regt at Bannu in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). During Pakistani crackdown, Rashid was deployed in Hajira on the Pakistani side of the cease-fire line in Kashmir. Taking some days of leave, he departed for Bangladesh via India. From Dhaka, he managed to send his family to Chittagong and joined the war in Sylhet area on 7 December with 2 Fd Battery. 2/Lt Sajjad was posted in 78 Fd Regt, then deployed in Shakkarghar situated on Kashmir border
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from where he defected. Capt Rashed Chowdhury had been the 21C. He too defected from his unit in Sialkot, Punjab.
BANGLADESH NAVY
The emergence of Bangladesh Navy during the war had been an episode full of suspense and heroism. There were approximately 2,520 Bengali officers and sailors in the Pakistan Navy. After the Declaration of Independence, the Bengali officers and men then serving in the West planned some sabotage activities. In one incident, Lt Amzad, Lt Sarwar Nizam and five other Naval Commandos planned to hijack a Pakistan Navy submarine to the nearby port of Mumbai. Before they could execute their plan, the Pakistanis arrested them. Consequently, all the Bengali officers and sailors were withdrawn from afloat assignments and placed ashore. They were asked to remain in PNS Karsaz under military escorts and were instructed not to visit dockyard or any ship.[56] In the Eastern Wg, approximately 110 were either on leave or posted in Chittagong (PNS Bakhtiar) or Khulna (PNS Titumir) before the outbreak of the war of whom many were pulled out and sent to Karachi.[57] As such, direct participation of Bengali Naval personnel from East Pakistan was limited by circumstances. But, Lt Comd Moazzem – a convict of Agartala Case set an exceptional instance by sacrificing his life for the motherland. When the case was withdrawn, he joined active politics to liberate the country. The Pakistan military killed him at his residence in Dhaka on 26 March 1971. Later, the Naval Base BNS Shaheed Moazzem in Rangamati was named after him. However, the Naval Commandos added a very different dimension to the evolutionary process of Bangladesh Navy and will be remembered with due respect. Usually, Special forces use unorthodox tactics and equipment against targets that lie outside the parameters that ordinarily dictate the use of conventional forces.[58] We often saw their application in aerial combat and land battles. The employment of this idea and tactics in waterways had been a very innovative and timely one which the world rarely witnessed before. In a literal sense, the Naval Commandos of Bangladesh liberation war had been neither special nor regular, but in the history of underwater operation, they will be reckoned with reverence for the outstanding role they played. Even Greenwich Naval Staff College, the UK who are traditionally known for their
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maritime power included these exploits in their curriculum. The operations carried out by the Naval Commandos were aimed at disrupting the marine communication between the East and West Pakistán. Consequently, a maritime sector i. e. Sector 10 was set up comprising the Bay of Bengal and internal waterways.
A handful of Bengali Naval Commandos defected from Pakistan Navy while they had been doing training in Toulon, a coastal city of Southern France, onboard the newly procured Daphne class submarine, formed the nucleus of this elite force.[59] The saga of their desperate flight from France to Delhi reveals their daunting courage and patriotism and would stand tall in the history of our war. It was 1970-71 when the Pakistan Navy purchased a submarine from France titled ‘Mangrow? The Government of France commissioned it on 5 August 1970. For necessary training and procurement, Pakistan Navy sent a group of 57 submariners to France of whom 13 were Bengalis. By 1 April 1971, they were supposed to complete their training and depart for Pakistan. However, after Pakistani military actions in the East Pakistan, the people started a fight of resistance, and rallied behind the Bengal regts to fight the Pakistan Army in different parts of the country. In this crucial hour, these sailors had been monitoring the political development of Dhaka and made up their mind to fight for the country, when it was in distress. Initially, they thought of destroying the submarine they were attached to but later understanding its negative impact discarded the plan. Finally, they thought of defecting from Toulon to join the war. To materialize their plan, they started frequently meeting in small groups to finalize their plan. Initially, they planned to leave France discreetly and then manage to reach India. On the evening of 27 March, after routine work, all nine submariners assembled for tying up details. The passports including other valuables had been kept centrally under a locker. Abdur Rakib Mia and Abdul Wahed Chowdhury were tasked to collect those. Despite a lot of risks involved, they got hold of the passports. The next day, Badiul Alam and Abdul Wahed Chowdhury came out of the submarine for buying tickets. Appreciating the security challenges, they later changed their mind to travel by train. They met again in the evening and planned to quit the submarine at 2300 hours on 31 March, the night before they were scheduled to depart for Pakistan. On the
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evening of 31 March, one after the other all nine members came out of the submarine in the name of shopping. Since other four submariners had left their families in West Pakistan, they could not make up their mind and opted to stay safe. Before leaving the base, the Bengali submariners shared their plan with some of the very trusted African friends and sought their assistance which was readily met. In small groups, the submariners assembled in the pre-designated rendezvous. From there they moved in pairs in a taxi cab to the neighbouring city of Marche. Those trusted African friends came all the way up to Marche to see them off. When everyone had arrived at Marche Railway Station by 2300 hours, there was a great sign of relief on everybody’s face. As they were preparing to leave for Geneva, they had suddenly noticed that one of their friends, Abdul Mannan was missing. Everyone felt quite tense, but they had no option but to move on to the next destination.
Later it was revealed that Submariner Abdul Mannan had left the group in search of a better future in London. Later on, in 1978, when AW Chowdhury (as Lt of Bangladesh Navy) visited the UK, he met him there.[62] The eight submariners included Gazi Mohammad Rahmatullah, chief radio artificer; Syed Md Mosharraf Hossain, engine room artificer; Aminullah Sheikh, electric artificer; Bodiul Alam, mechanical engineer; Abdul Wahed Chowdhury, radio operator; Ahsanullah, mechanical engineer; Abdur Rakib Mia, electrical mechanic; and Abidur Rahman, steward. The train left on time as all the submariners settled in their seats. By 0800 hours on 1 April, all of them arrived at a bordering place opposite to Geneva city. As they approached the immigration counter, none were allowed entry without a visa. They had been trying to make their points for the entry but without any result. The immigration authority instead of issuing visa kept them confined in a room and took off their passports. This caused severe panic in their minds and could have brought disasters for the entire team. The police could also inform the Pakistan Embassy both in Switzerland and France. However, when the Immigration Officer came to return their passports, they seemed to have got a second lease of life. By evening of 1 April, all of them travelled to Paris. After coming to Paris, they learnt that submarine Mangrow had already left and the embassy staff had gone to see them off. They tried to contact the Indian Embassy but failed. Paris to them was not much friendly for their stay.
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So, all of them shifted to Lyon – a small adjoining city.[63] When the Pakistani submarine reached Spain, they officially informed the French authority about the defection of their members. It became a breaking news in most media in Europe. Soon the intelligence agencies and law enforcers in France, Spain and Switzerland started looking for them everywhere. Besides the Pakistan and Indian Embassies had also been looking for the deserters. The sailors had taken a day and night to reach Lyon. They identified themselves as Indians in this new city and hired three rooms in 3 different hotels to evade detection. They went around in search of information and regularly met and shared if there was anything new and essential.
Meanwhile, Gazi Rahmatullah gathered a propitious information from a tourist office that Spain had offered Pakistani passport holders access without a visa for three months. To execute their plan, Rahmatullah managed a Spanish tourist guide and a map. So, all of them without wasting any time rushed towards Spanish border. By next morning they reached the adjacent Portbou train station. The Spanish Immigration authority looked at their passports but allowed them access. After coming out of the station, they took rooms in an ordinary hotel. Their next destination was Barcelona where they had to travel by train. Arriving at the station, they found two trains at adjacent platforms ready to depart for Barcelona and checking passengers’ in. They queued up for the check-in, but only two could board the train before it started leaving the platform. Thus they got split into two groups and had to reach Barcelona by separate trains.4 After some frantic attempts, they got united again and started for Madrid. Arriving in Madrid, they took boarding in a small yet beautiful hotel run by a family. The young daughter Gagelin became very friendly with the submariners. One night the proprietor came and said that the intelligence people had come for a check and needed their identities. Gagelin then came forward to face the intelligence people. She told them that the Pakistani citizens had indeed been staying at the hotel but had left that morning after staying the night. Having survived this time, the submariners decided to contact the Indian Embassy, and Gazi Mohammad Rahmatullah took up the responsibility. Since the Ambassador was not present in the office, they met the Charge d’affaires Mr Bedi who warmly welcomed them. They conveyed to Mr Bedi their intention and requirement. In response, Mr Bedi
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said that they had been waiting to receive the submariners for the last couple of days. He added, “ You could have received similar support from Indian Embassy in Paris”. The submariners became very emotional with the kind of support they received. Just a few hours earlier their future had been so bleak, and obscure but now it seemed to be radiating with hope. After these initial conversations, they came back to the hotel, and by evening all the submariners reported to the embassy. Indian Government played a very proactive role and instructed all their consulates in Europe to provide these submariners necessary legal and moral support. Accordingly, Mr Bedi assured them of every possible support and asked them to apply to the Indian Government for political asylum. Until the next order was issued, they were also advised to remain within hotel premises. For obtaining Indian passport, they submitted their Pakistani passport to the Indian authority. Before departing from Madrid, they had to stay in their hotels for a few more days. As the submariners left Madrid, the Indian Government for the first time officially declared that India had given the defected submariners political asylum and now they were on their way to Delhi via Rome. It was breaking news on the British Broadcasting Corporation and other international news agencies. Journalists gathered at Rome airport to interview these submariners. The Pakistani authority made extensive diplomatic lobbying to get hold of these defecting sailors but did not succeed.
Because of the unique care by Indian Embassy staff, things moved as planned. On their request, the local police provided them additional security in their hotel. For keeping their travel to India under cover, Indian Embassy procured Swiss tickets on which they travelled to Delhi via Geneva. As they reached Geneva, there the Indian Embassy arranged a reception and provided other supports. There too the Pakistani Embassy staff tried to establish that these were their citizens but it was then too late. All Pakistani efforts went in vain, and the submariners very watchfully boarded the aircraft.
On 10 April, the aircraft landed on the tarmac of Bombay airport, something which the submariners had been cherishing for long. The next day they reached Delhi and were received by Comd M Sharma, a very professional officer from Indian Navy.[66] Initially, they were kept in Hotel Ranjit where Comd Sharma arranged all their administrative details. The Pakistan
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Government became unusually alarmed with this event. Meanwhile, the Indian intelligence deliberately interrogated them to examine their motive and also to gather information about the Pakistan Navy. They also wanted to know as to what they were thinking about the war and what they needed to materialize their plan. This was first such a big group of soldiers defecting the Pakistani side to join the war. With their arrival, the idea of organizing a naval wg got momentum. Comd Sharma suggested to Md Rahmatullah to form a Naval Commando group. The Indian Chief of Naval Staff Mr SM Nanda, Intelligence Officer Mr Roy Chowdhury and Col Osmani showed interest in the matter. Another eight soldiers who came from Pakistan Navy also joined these submariners. The formation of a Naval Commando unit was considered as a highly-classified matter by the Indian authority. Initially, it was decided to employ the commandos against the Pakistani ships and oil tankers so that their mobility could be restricted. Later their objectives were enlarged depending on the situation and capability. Before setting up the training camp, the submariners underwent training from 25 April to 15 May on scuba diving in the Jamuna River beside Delhi under late Lt Sumir Das and Petty Officer Gupta. After necessary training in Delhi, the team moved to Kolkata. Here, on 23 May 1971, the first Naval Commando Training Camp code-named C2P was inaugurated near the bank of historic Bhagirathi River of Murshidabad, West Bengal where Lord Clive defeated Nabab Siraj-UdDaulah in 1757. During Col Osmani’s visit to Takipur and Bhomra Youth camps, he recruited 120 youths for Naval Commando training. These camps were under Maj Jalil and Lt Col Osman. These boys were immediately sent to the Plassey camp for training.
The second batch of 200 boys was recruited from different youth camps based in Agartala. They were given vigorous training that included surface swimming, under-water swimming, survival training, demolition practices, using limpet mines, hand to hand combat and navigation. Hydrographic charts, essential for riverine operations, were obtained in June when a Bengali ex-Leading Seaman contacted the Chief Hydrographer of the Inland Water Transport Authority at Narayanganj. Although not an active member of the Mukti Bahini, the Chief Hydrographer willingly provided those.[68] The Camp Comd C2P was Comd M.N Somanth; training coordinator was Lt Comd G.
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Martis, both from Indian Navy, while 20 Indian instructors including eight Bengali submariners became the trainers. The training of the 1st batch of commandos was completed on 10 July, and the 2nd batch completed their training on 31 July 1971.[69] These commandos were divided into four Task Groups for carrying out the operation at Chittagong, Chalna, Narayanganj and Chandpur. Each sector was, in turn, allotted four Task Units comprising personnel from the respective area. A Task Unit is comprised of ten Task Elements. Each Task Element had three frogmen armed with one rifle, one or two limpet mine, one grenade, diver’s knife swimming fins, and compass.[70] Later, these commandos created havoc for the Pakistani forces along the waterways within Bangladesh in August 1971. The aim of the Naval guerrilla campaign was primarily economic, to disrupt seaborne trade with the Eastern Wing and to discourage international shipping from visiting East Pakistan. Attacks on a neutral ship, therefore, were quite deliberate. It was also hoped to hinder the supply of the Pakistani forces including their reinforcements.[71] They not only damaged Pakistani maritime assets and facilities but also created a global awareness about the scale of immoral military action carried out by the Pakistan military.
While the Naval Commandos proved their worth as potential assets, India came forward to support their efforts by providing two-tug boats in October 1971. These were supplied from the pool of Calcutta Port Trust to augment the naval wg. These two vessels were named as INS Ajay and INS Akshay. These boats underwent a month-long refitting at Khidirpur Dockyard at the cost of 3.8 million Indian Rupees and converted into gunboats to carry 2 Canadian 40 mm x 60 mm Bofors guns and two light engines and eight ground mines, four on each side of the deck, in addition to 11 ground mines.[72] They had the provision of carrying four 500-pound British Mark II mines. On 2 October, these boats were waterborne and renamed as Padma and Palash. These vessels had 44 Bengali sailors and 12 Naval Commandos and commanded by Lt Comd KP Roy and K Mitra of Indian Navy.[73] They were handed over to Bangladesh on 30 October 1971. Calcutta Port Trust Chairman Mr P. K Sen commissioned these vessels in the presence of State Minister Capt Kamruzzaman from Bangladesh Government side. These were the major components of our naval wg raised during the war.
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BANGLADESH AIR FORCE
British colonial Government of India established the subcontinent’s first air force station near Drigh Road in 1933, which is now called PAF Base Faisal. In 1934, this element of the Royal IAF was extended to the north for suppressing the tribal population in NWFP. During WW II, it played an important role in defeating the Japanese in Burma. After 1947, PAF significantly developed inducting British aircraft and powered by US aids. By 1971, Pakistan possessed a sizable airforce of which only handful manpower joined Bangladesh.[74] But the reputation of Bengali members firstly in BritishIndian and later in PAF had been one of the most radiant chapters of our flying history. Bengalis produced quite a few top-class combat pilots for whom the Pakistanis took a lot of pride as they had all served in erstwhile PAF. Among them, San Ldr MM Alam had become a legend during the 1965 Indo-Pak war when he shot down 5 Indian aircrafts in less than a minute. He was the world’s fastest ace pilot and was the only one to claim that distinction during 1965 war. An ace pilot is one who is credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. Alam opted to stay back in Pakistan and died in 2013 as retired Air Commodore.[75] He is a name larger than life, undiminished by death. Gp Capt Saiful Azam was another ace pilot from Bangladesh who was awarded by three different nations for his outstanding role in aerial combat. He shot Indian aircrafts in 1965 war, then two years later he shot Israeli combat aircraft in the 1967 Arab-Israel war. Even today Saiful Azam remains the highest shooter of Israeli aircraft in the history of a dogfight. He retired as a Gp Capt from BAF. In 2001, he was honoured by the United States Air Force and enjoyed the status of being one of the twenty-two ‘Living Eagles’ of the world.[76] San Ldr Sarfaraz Ahmad Rafiqui was another outstanding fighter pilot from Rajshahi who died in aerial combat during the 1965 war.[77] Being an airman; Sergeant Zahurul Haque had been politically so conscious that he was part of a historical plot to liberate the country for which he was an accused of the Agartala Case. He was killed in jail, and BAF recognized his contribution by naming BAF Base Zahurul Haque Chittagong in his honour. A students’ dormitory (hall) in Dhaka University has also been named after him.[78] Another valiant fighter Flt Lt Matiur Rahman while escaping from Pakistan with a T-33 aircraft to join the war was killed when
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his aircraft crashed outside Karachi near Talahar of Batta. BAF owes a great deal to this man for the supreme sacrifice he made for the country. He was later bestowed with “Bir Sreshtho” posthumously, and BAF Base Matiur bears the proud name of this great warrior.[79]
Developing an air arm during the liberation war had been an extremely challenging affair considering the requirement of tremendous investment and India was not in a position to readily provide support in this regard. The officers and men who came together to set up an air arm showed exemplary courage and patriotism. In spite of various constraints, it was quite encouraging to note that a good number of Bengali officers and airmen including technicians left their duty stations to join the war. Some of them had managed to escape from Kurmitola and joined 2 East Bengal in Joydebpur. Flt Lt Sadar Uddin and Flg Offr Nurul Kadir entered India through Comilla. By May number of pilots from PAF and PIA had crossed over to India. Thus, Wg Comd Abul Basher, San Ldr Sultan Mahmud, Flt Lt Shamsul Alam, Flg Offr Badrul Alam, Capt Sahabuddin Ahmed, Capt Akram Ahmed, Capt ASM Abdul Khaleque (died in an air crash after independence), Capt Kazi Abdus Satter, and Capt Sharfuddin Ahmed (also died in an air crash after independence) joined the war.[80] Gp Capt Khandakar was made the Deputy COS of Bangladesh forces, and Wg Comd Basher was made the Comd of Sec 6. Later on, he became the Air Chief, and untimely died on 1 September 1976 in a plane crash while piloting an inaugural flight on the occasion of the opening of Flying Instructors School at BAF Dhaka Base. Dhaka Base was subsequently renamed after him as BAF Bashar Base. There had been other relatively young but experienced officers including San Ldr Sultan Mahmud, Flt Lt Rahim, Flt Lt M Sadaruddin and Flg Offr Liaqat Ali Khan who offered their services to Bangladesh forces. Time was running very fast. It was May-June 1971, but these officers could not be employed gainfully. Later some of them joined various sectors to fight the war on the ground. San Ldr Sultan Mahmud and Flg Offr Shakhawat Hossain joined Sector 1, Flt Lt Kader joined Sector 4, Flt Lt M Sadar Uddin and Flt Lt Rahim joined Sector 6. Flg Offr Liaqat joined Z Force while Flg Offr Badrul Alam joined Bangladesh forces HQ as Staff Officer.
The issue of air arm was first put up to Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed
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in May 1971 by Gp Capt Khandakar.[81] Later when the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and the C-in-C visited Delhi, a detailed report was prepared to highlight the requirement of air assets. All appreciated that an air arm, however small, as well as materials and weapon, were the need of the time. In August Gp Capt Khandakar discussed the issue with Indian Secretary Mr KB Lal, Eastern Air Force Comd Air Marshal Hari Chand Dewan and Mr Ashoke Roy. They showed a keen interest in helping to build an air arm and asked Bangladeshi pilots to join their squadrons which were politely declined by Khandakar; instead, he requested them to provide a few aircrafts, accessories and an airfield. The discussion ended without result. In August while IAF Chief Air Marshal PC Lal visited Kolkata, he had a detailed conversation with Gp Capt Khandakar on the issue.[82] Meanwhile, Bengali immigrants abroad thought of buying aircrafts for the war and even carried out a market analysis and forwarded feedbacks to assist the Government in the planning. Considering specific practical issues, the idea of buying the aircraft, however, was dropped. A few days later the IAF Chief sent two proposals regarding the formation of the air force. The first one was regarding the integration of BAF personnel with the IAF and the second one was to raise the air force with old “Vampire” aircraft. Though none of these had been useful options, the Bangladeshi fliers continued to press on the Indians on the raising of the air arm.
It was in September 1971; however, the IAF agreed to help Bangladesh Government in raising an air arm. Accordingly, in September, IAF provided one Attor aircraft; one Alouette helicopter and one DC-3 plane to take advantage of the lack of night fighting capability of the PAF. The aircrews were quickly sent to Dimapur Airfield of Nagaland state adjacent to Sylhet. It was a 5,000 feet long-abandoned World War II airfield. A group of 10 air force officers and PIA pilots and 67 technicians joined Dimapur base.[83] They soon began rigging the aircrafts for combat worthiness. Canadian origin small Attor aircraft was developed by attaching rocket launchers and MG. The helicopter was given a 303 Browning MG and two rocket launchers to provide some firepower. Additionally, 1-inch (25 mm) steel plate was welded to its floor to deliver it better protection. DC-3 was an American aircraft presented by the King of Jodhpur and was modified to carry bombs but was
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mostly used to ferry personnel. By 28 September, BAF started its training, and the Government formally declared its raising on 8 October 84 The officers and staff did extensive training including exercises and demonstrations. To avoid radar detection, they carried out low flying in the hilly areas of Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal, Tripura and Assam. The embryo of BAF titled “Kilo Flight under San Ldr Sultan Mahmud had barely a hundred members. The official date of formation of BAF was 28 September though it was launched on 8 October by the Government. On behalf of IAF, Base Comd Jorhat Airbase, Gp Capt Chandan Singh provided all sorts of technical, administrative, communication and operational assistance.
ANALYSIS
The concept of sector-based operation including the creation of sectors evolved out of the geographical realities and the disposition of forces. In the aftermath of the military crackdown, though Bengal regts and members of EPR and police offered stiff resistance, they also paid heavily. It was, therefore, necessary to quickly develop various forces making the best use of defecting and retired armed forces personnel. Forces HQ focused on the development of Sectors first. Considering these, military officers and personnel were employed in leadership, operational and training roles and others undertook miscellaneous tasks. To augment the sectors, Gono Bahini members were inducted in large numbers. These forces adopted low-cost guerrilla techniques on Pakistani troops, exploiting the advantage offered by the terrain. Unconventional forces were not designed to capture ground and achieve a decisive victory. Therefore, conventional forces had to be raised. In modern warfare, each of the land, maritime and air components have specific roles to play which none can ignore. Accordingly, an air wg anda naval wg came into the function. Quantity wise they lacked strength, although the courage and dedication of our Naval Commandos and aviators made up for their deficits. The Naval Commandos carried out some spectacular underwater operations in August 1971 that not only paralyzed the Pakistani supply chain but also caught global attention reflecting the plight of the Bengalis resulting from the war. When the efforts of the Bangladesh forces were declining, the performance of Naval Commandos changed the scene. PAF lacked night
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flying capability which the local aviators prudently exploited and by skilful flying destroyed many essential oil refineries. For useful employment of the brigades in a conventional war, two artillery batteries were also raised to provide fire support. By and large, all these forces not only fought regular battles but also operated in sync with the unconventional forces depending on the need and urgency.
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3. Nasim, Op. cit., p. 132 and Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, 5 June 2014.
4. Arefin, Op. cit., pp. 50-51.
5. Ibid., p. 51.
6. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
7. Ibid.
8. Arefin, Op. Cit., pp. 51-53.
9. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. Arefin, Op. Cit., pp. 53-54.
13. Zaman, Imamuz. Bangladesh War of Liberation. p. 19.
14. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
15. Ibid.
16. Arefin, Op. Cit., p. 55.
17. Zaman, Op. Cit., p. 19 and Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 142.
18. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
19. Ibid.
20. Arefin, Op. Cit., p. 56.
21. Zaman, Op. Cit., p. 19 and Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 144.
22. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
23. Ibid.
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24. Arefin, Op. Cit., pp. 57-58.
25. Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 148.
26. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
27. Ibid. and Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 148.
28. Arefin, Op. Cit., pp. 58-59.
29. Ibid., p. 59.
30. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
31. Ibid. and Nasim, Op. cit., p. 149.
32. Arefin, Op. Cit., pp. 59-61.
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34. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
35. Ibid. and Bangladesh Army Headquarters, Education Directorate. Bangladesh Senabahinir Itihash, Prothom Khondo: Muktijuddha 0 Senabahini. Dhaka: Bangladesh Army. 2015. p. 193.
36. Arefin, Op. Cit., pp. 61-62.
37. Ibid., p. 62.
38. Ibid.
39. Bijoyketon Liberation War Museum, Op. Cit.
40. Ibid.
41. Arefin, Op. Cit., pp. 62-63.
42. Ibid., pp. 63-64.
43. Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 243.
44. Ibid., p. 245.
45. Bangladesh Forces Headquarters. Letter No. 0002G. 2 September 1971.
46. Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 247.
47. Ibid., p. 262.
48. Arefin, Op. Cit., p. 66.
49. Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 262.
50. Arefin, Op. Cit., p. 66-67.
51. Nasim, Op. Cit., p. 264.
52. Arefin, Op. Cit., p. 67.
53. Nasim, Op. cit., p. 284.
54. Ibid., p. 289.
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56. Directorate of Naval Education Services, Bangladesh Navy. Turn of the Tide: A Chronicle of Bangladesh Navy. Dhaka: Directorate of Naval Education Services, 2016. p. 21.
57. Ibid.
58. Hossain, Md Sarwar. “Employment of Special Operation Force in Bangladesh Army-Looking at the Prospect”. Bangladesh Armed Forces Day Journal. 21 November 2002. pp. 44-53.
59. Turn of the Tide: A Chronicle of Bangladesh Navy, Op. Cit., p. 16.
60. Khandakar, A K. 1971: Bhetore Baire (1971: In and Out). p. 147.
61. Ibid., p. 148.
62. Chowdhury, AW (Naval Commando). Telephone Interview. 14 Feb 2015.
63. Khandakar, Op. Cit., p. 151.
64. Mahmud, Sejan. Operation Jackpot. 2015. p. 29.
65. Ibid., pp. 29-30.
66. Bangladesher Swadhinata Juddha: Dalilpatra (Bangladesh Liberation War: Documents). 15 Vols. Dhaka: Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. p. 10: 510.
67. Mahmud, Op. Cit., p. 31 and Ibid.
68. Royal Naval Staff College Greenwich. The Principles of War: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Scheme SS5a.
69. Bangladesher Swadhinata Juddha: Dalilpatra (Bangladesh Liberation War: Documents), Op. cit., pp. 10:510-511.
70. Turn of the Tide: A Chronicle of Bangladesh Navy. Op. cit., p. 16.
71. Royal Naval Staff College Greenwich. The Principles of War: The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Scheme SS5a.
72. “Operation Jackpot”. n. d. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 6 July 2015.
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73. Turn of the Tide: A Chronicle of Bangladesh Navy. Op. Cit., p. 19.
74. “History of PAF”. The Official Website of Pakistan Air Force. n.d.
<http://www. paf. gov. pk/history/html>
75. “PAF Squadron Leader M. M Alam Destroyed 5-Indian AirCrafts”. Youtube.com. 25 August 2009.17 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRtFEntbQUA>.
76. “Bangladeshi Ace Pilots”. Pakistan Defence. n. d. 18 August 2015.
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77. “Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui” n. d. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 18 July 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarfaraz_Ahmed_Rafiqui>.
78. “History of Bangladesh Air Force”. The Official Website of Bangladesh Air Force. n. d. 15 May 2015. <http://www. baf. Mil. bd/baf_history/baf_history. html>.
79. Ibid.
80. Khandakar, Op. Cit., p. 168.
81. Ibid., p. 169.
82. Ibid., p. 170.
83. Wahab, ATM Abdul. Mukti Bahini Wins Victory: Military Oligarchy Divides Pakistan in 1971. p. 217.
84. “Bangladesh Air Force” n. d. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 8 July 2015. <http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Bangladesh_Air_Force>.
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Reference: 1971 Resistance, Resilience And Redemption – Major General Sarwar Hossain