Khaled Mosharraf

Khaled Mosharraf
Born 9 November 1937
Jamalpur, British India (now Bangladesh)
Died 7 November 1975(1975-11-07) (aged 38)
Allegiance  Bangladesh
 Pakistan (before 1971)
Service/branch
Years of service
Rank Major general
Unit East Bengal Regiment
Commands held

(Bangladesh)

Battles/wars Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Bangladesh War of Independence
Awards Bir Uttom
Other work Coup of 3 November 1975

Khaled Mosharraf, Bir Uttom (Bengali: খালেদ মোশাররফ) (born 1 November 1937 – died 7 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi military officer who was the Sector Commander of Bangladesh Forces Sector 2 and K-Force Brigade Commander during the Bangladesh War of Independence. He was awarded Bir Uttam for his gallantry actions during the war. Although he suffered a bullet injury, he recovered and remained in command of Bangladesh Forces Sector 2. On 3 November 1975, Mosharraf led a coup against the Mushtaq Administration who had conspired and seized power in Bangladesh in 1975 post the assassination of Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,[1] but during the military uprising on 7 November, he was himself overthrown and assassinated.

Early life and army career

Khaled Mosharraf was born in the village of Mosharraf Ganj in Islampur, Jamalpur District of the province of Bengal, British India (now in Bangladesh). He passed the matriculation examination from Cox's Bazar Government High School[2] in 1953. Graduating from the Dhaka College in 1955, he joined the Pakistan Army and enrolled at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, West Pakistan. He became adjutant of the 4th Bengal regiment during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. He also served as an instructor at the military academy and obtained an advanced degree from the Command and Staff College in Quetta in 1968. In addition, he also received training in the United Kingdom and West Germany.[3]

Bangladesh Forces Commander in the War of Independnce

Major Mosharraf was appointed commanding officer of the 4th Bengal regiment (the 4th battalion of East Bengal Regiment) in the Comilla Cantonment on 24 March 1971. Mosharraf led this unit in mutiny following the declaration of independence on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by Major Ziaur Rahman from Kalurghat Radio station in Chittagong 26 March 1971. He merged his unit into a guerrilla force and later served as one of its leading commanders.

Guerrilla fighter Shafi Imam Rumi took training for the war in Melaghar, Agartala under Sector-2, supervised by Mosharraf and Abu Taher Mohammad Haider.[4] After his training, he came to Dhaka to join the Crack Platoon, a group that conducted major guerrilla operations against the Pakistan Army. His major target was to bomb the Siddhirganj Power Station.[5]

At the end of June 1971, Shahadat Chowdhury and Habibul Alam came to Rumi's father Sharif's house with a letter from Mosharraf. Mosharraf asked Sharif information about bridges and culverts of Bangladesh to hamper the Pakistani occupation army's movement. Sharif used to provide detailed information on the exact points where to set explosives so that the bridge will be damaged, but also so that it can be repaired easily after the country is liberated.[6]

After conducting some successful attacks, Mosharraf and his unit were forced to retreat into the Indian state of Tripura. In an encounter with Pakistani forces, he suffered a gunshot wound to his head and soon recovered after treatment. Following the Bangladesh War of Independence and the establishment of an independent Bangladesh, Mosharraf was appointed as the staff officer to the HQ of the new Bangladesh Army in Dhaka. In 1973 after attaining the rank of brigadier, he was appointed to the post of Chief of General Staff. He was also awarded the military honor Bir Uttom for gallantry by the independent government of Bangladesh in 1972.

Coup of 1975

Following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's president, on 15 August 1975, a new government composing of anti-Mujib political elements was formed under the new president Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad. Ahmad issued the Indemnity Ordinance, which gave immunity from prosecution to the killers of Mujib. Outraged at Mujib's killing and the protection of his killers, Mosharraf mobilized pro-Mujib army units with Colonel Shafaat Jamil of 46 Brigade to overthrow Ahmad's regime on 3 November. He had Ziaur Rahman and other members of the government arrested and elevated himself to the rank of major general, and to the position of army chief. Mosharraf installed Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem as president.[7] His mother and brother had led a commemorative procession to Mujib's family residence without his knowledge. He allowed safe passage to those who killed Mujib.[8] However, a mutiny on 7 November consisting of left-wing non-enlisted personnel in the army, organized and led by the radical left wing JSD leader Abu Taher,[9] resulted in the assassination of Mosharraf.[10]

Assassination

On 6 November 1975, Major General Mosharraf, with two others fellow officers, Colonel Najmul Huda and Colonel A.T.M. Haider, went to 10th East Bengal Regiment. Next morning, i.e., on 7 November 1975, at 11 am, under order of an officer from the 2nd Field Regiment Artillery (rumoured to be Lieutenant Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed, later executed on 28 January 2010 for killing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), Captain Asad and Captain Jalil of the 10th East Bengal Regiment shot and killed Mosharraf and his two fellow officers.[11] Ironically, both Asad and Jalil fought in K force under Mosharraf during the Bangladesh Liberation War, and Mosharraf had once saved Asad's life while risking his own. Mosharraf's body was left under a date tree inside cantonment for a certain time.

Personal life

Khaled was married to Salma Khaled Mosharraf.[12] His daughter, Mahjabeen Khaled, was elected to the Bangladesh Parliament.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Ahsan, Syed Badrul. "Remembering Khaled Musharraf. ." The Daily Star. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Dola, Shamima. খালেদ মোশাররফ [Khaled Mosharraf]. Gunijan Trust (in Bengali). Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  3. ↑ Editor. "Mosharraf, Major General Khaled". en.banglapedia.org. Banglapedia. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  4. ↑ "A CALL TO WAR HOW THE CRACK PLATOON WAS FORMED". thedailystar.net. The Daily Star. March 20, 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  5. ↑ (Imam 1986, pp. 159–60)
  6. ↑ Karmakar, Prasanta (30 October 2009). "One retired fellow traveler of Liberation war". Prothom-Alo. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "History, as the Zias see it". The Daily Star (Editorial). Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Ahsan, Syed Badrul. "None righted the wrong". The Daily Star. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Chowdhury, Afsan. "'It's not just the colonel who would not repent, but just about everyone else'". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  10. ↑ Mascarenhas, Anthony (1986). Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood. Hodder and Stoughton. p. 109. ISBN 0-340-39420-X. Some jawans from the Bengal Lancers and 2 Field Artillery came over to urge the 10th East Bengal troops to join the mutiny. The trouble seems to have spread rapidly. A few minutes later Khalid Musharraf and Colonels Huda and Halder were gunned down in the CO's room by two company commanders, Captain Asad and Captain Jalil.
  11. ↑ Ahsan, Syed Badrul. "Khaled Musharraf and a lost autumnal spring". The Daily Star. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "HC okays govt move to cancel house allotment to wife of Khaled Mosharraf". archive.thedailystar.net. The Daily Star. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
  13. ↑ "Punish Khaled Mosharraf's killers". The Daily Star. 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
Preceded by
Major General Ziaur Rahman		 Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh
3–7 November 1975		 Succeeded by
Major General Ziaur Rahman
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