Major Abdul Waheed Chowdhury (1914–1965) was a senior Bengali military officer in the British Indian Army he was a World War II veteran soldier and later joined Pakistan Army.After the Partition of India and Independence of Pakistan in 1947 durning that transition he was working as G.S.O at Supreme Commanders Headquarters in Delhi India and Pakistan's joint Military Council.He played a crucial role in forming the Pakistan Army and was instrumental in establishing the East Bengal Regiment.Major A.W.Chowdhury was the first Officer Commanding(O.C) or Acting Commandant of 1st East Bengal Regiment,Training Company.Within the Pakistan Army, he was popularly known as the "Major A.W.Chowdhury"..

Early life and education

Chowdhury was born on 1 February 1914, in Dariapur village,

Habiganj District Habiganj District (; ), formerly known as Habibganj District (), is a district in north-eastern Bangladesh, located in the Sylhet Division. It was established as a district in 1984 as a successor to its ''subdivision'' status since 1867. It is na ...

Sylhet Division Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

. His father,

Khan Sahib Khan Sahib - a compound of Khan "Leader" and Sahib "Master" - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred mainly on Muslim, and also on Parsi, Irani, and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire. It was a title one deg ...

Abdur Rab Chowdhury, was the controller of examinations at

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

. Chowdhury completed his matriculation in 1931 from the

Nabakumar Institution Nabakumar Institution is a historical education institute in Bakshi Bazar of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. History Nabakumar Institution was established in 1916 by a zamindar called Nabakumar. It was operated as a school though it was named an institu ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

and later passed the intermediate examination from

Dhaka College Dhaka College (), informally known as DC, is a public educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the subcontinent. It offers Honours degree, honours and Master's degree ...

in 1933. He obtained a B.A. (Honors) in economics from Dhaka University in 1935 and completed his master's degree in 1937.

Career

Chowdhury joined the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

. He received training at the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, d ...

. As

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

broke out, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 4th

Madras Regiment The Madras Regiment is the oldest infantry regiment of the Indian Army, originating in the 1750s as a unit of the East India Company, British East India Company. The regiment took part in numerous campaigns with the British Indian Army and the po ...

of the British Indian Army on 15 May 1941. During the war, he served under General Sir Edward Quinan in the British 10th Army stationed in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

, Iraq. Later, he joined the British 10th Army's headquarters in

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

(now Sri Lanka) and, after its dissolution, served in the

1st Punjab Regiment The 1st Punjab Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. Upon the Partition of India, it was transferred to the newly-raised Pakistan Army. It ceased to exist in this form Constitution of Pakistan of 1956, i ...

under Brigadier Mohammad Kiyani as a brigade major in

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

During the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, while serving in the Supreme Army Headquarters in Delhi under the Infantry Directorate of the Pakistan Cell, he played a key role in forming the Pakistan Army. He was later transferred to

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

, where he was involved in formulating Pakistan's military training doctrine. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948, he was entrusted with the formation of the

East Bengal Regiment The East Bengal Regiment () is one of the two infantry regiments of the Bangladesh Army, the other being the Bangladesh Infantry Regiment. East Bengal Regiment was founded by Major Abdul Gani. History The East Bengal Regiment was formed on ...

, laying the foundation for the

Senior Tigers 1st East Bengal Regiment or 1st Bengal also known by its nickname The Senior Tigers of Bangladesh Army. History 1st East Bengal Regiment is the oldest battalion of the East Bengal Regiment (the first of the two infantry regiments in the Bangla ...

. In November 1947, Chowdhury successfully convinced Field Marshal

Claude Auchinleck Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck ( ) (21 June 1884 – 23 March 1981), was a British Indian Army commander who saw active service during the world wars. A career soldier who spent much of his militar ...

of the necessity of an infantry regiment for Bengalis. As a result, the East Bengal Regiment was approved and formed with permission of Muammad Ali Jinnah. He became its first Bengali commanding officer and led its initial training. The Bengalis faced discrimination in the center from West Pakistani Army officers to the chagrin of ethnic Bengali Army officers.

Death

Chowdhury died on 16 February 1965, at his residence on Nazimuddin Road,

, at the age of 51. He was laid to rest at the Mariam Saleha Mosque graveyard in Babupura, Dhaka.

References

{{Reflist 1914 births 1965 deaths Bengali military personnel People from Habiganj District Pakistan Army officers Indian Army personnel of World War II People of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 Dhaka College alumni University of Dhaka alumni Indian Military Academy alumni