Akram Ahmed was a veteran of the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

as a pilot as part of Operation Kilo Flight, the beginning of

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army a ...

. For his bravery in the war, the government of Bangladesh awarded him the title of

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom () is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for living individual. Since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, 69 people have been awarded the Bir Utto ...

, one of a few civilians to have received the award.

Early life

Career

In 1971, Akram Ahmed worked in the East Pakistan Plant Protection Directorate. At that time, the Plant Protection Directorate had its own crop duster to control insects. When the Bangladesh Liberation War started, he fled from Dhaka to India in May. There he met Khaled Musharraf and expressed interest in taking part in the ground war. Khaled Musharraf told him to stay in Agartala for some time. A few months later the air wing of Mukti Bahini was formed. Ahmed took part in about 12 took part in the attack. After midnight on 2 December 1971 Ahmed flew a small plane from an Indian airport for Bangladesh. He was accompanied by Shamsul Alam. Their target was the oil depot in

Chittagong Port Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

. They arrived at their target after flying for about three hours. They successfully bombed the airport with no navigation equipment except a compass. After the Bangladesh Liberation War ended Ahmed joined

Bangladesh Biman Biman Bangladesh Airlines, commonly known as Biman ( , ), is the national flag carrier of Bangladesh. With its main hub at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, the airline also operates flights from its secondary hubs at Shah Aman ...

, the national airlines of Bangladesh. He was active in the Nirmul Committee. Ahmed worked as a senior consultant of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.

Death

Ahmed died on 7 December 2020, at the

Combined Military Hospital Combined Military Hospitals (, abbreviated as CMH) are Pakistan Armed Forces hospitals situated in various cantonments of Pakistan. History During the British Raj, the British Indian Army troops depended for their medical treatment entirely o ...

in Dhaka. He was hospitalized with pneumonia after catching

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh The COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bangladesh in March 2020. The firs ...

. He was buried in Banani graveyard with a guard of honor provided by Bangladesh Air Force.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Akram 20th-century births 2020 deaths People from Jessore District Recipients of the Bir Uttom Burials at Banani Graveyard Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh