Kazi Mohammed Safiullah, BU, psc (; 2 September 1934 – 26 January 2025) was a retired two star army officer and diplomat. He served as the 2nd Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army, and a

Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad (), often simply referred to as Sangsad and also known as is the unicameral Legislature, legislative body of Bangladesh. The current parliament of Bangladesh contains 350 seats, including 50 seats reserved exclusively for w ...

member for Awami League. He gained prominence for leading the '' S Force'', a prominent brigade during 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 ...

that played a pivotal role in the conflict of 1971. As the second in command of Second East Bengal Regiment, along with his battalion, Safiullah was the first Bengali officer to stage a rebellion on 19 March 1971 while 57 Bde. Commander-Brig. Jahanzeb Arbab came to visit Joydevpur. He killed four non-Bengali officers of his own unit along with several non-Bengali soldiers hailing from then West Pakistan. During the

of 1971, he was the second in command of Second East Bengal Regiment that revolted with six officers on the night of 4 April 1971. He became the sector commander of Sector 3, headquartered in Teliapara, Sylhet. He directly participated in active combat and escaped certain death at least in two such combats. Towards the end of September he was appointed one of three brigade commanders, leading what was called the " S-force" (after his surname) during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Safiullah became Chief of Army Staff in April 1972. After the 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état, President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad replaced him with Major General

Ziaur Rahman Ziaur Rahman (19 January 193630 May 1981) was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the sixth president of Bangladesh from 1977 until Assassination of Ziaur Rahman, his assassination in 1981. One of the leading figures of t ...

Early life and education

Safiullah was born on 2 September 1934 in Rupganj Upazila

Narayanganj District Narayanganj District () is a district in central Bangladesh which is a part of Dhaka Division. It is the smallest district in Bangladesh. It is home to the ancient city of one of the oldest industrial districts in the country. The district lies on ...

. He passed his matriculation in 1950 from Murapara High School. Later he studied in Govt. Haraganga College, Munshiganj. While studying in Govt. Haraganga College he joined the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

Military career

Safiullah was commissioned from 12 PMA Long Course in 1955. His initial parent unit was in 16th Punjab Regiment. He also served as a Instructor in the School of Infantry and Tactics. In 1970 he was posted to 2nd East Bengal Regiment.

Bangladesh Liberation War

Prior to Operation Searchlight, Major K M Safiullah was in 2nd East Bengal Regiment, where he and other men of his company revolted and killed 4 West Pakistani officers and a few West Pakistani soldiers. After open hostilities Safiullah at that time was Sector Commander of Bangladesh Forces Sector 3. His sector was headquartered in Teliapara, Sylhet from where he commanded his troops and took part in active combats during the entire duration of the war. His sector's areas were

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 ...

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

and parts of

Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...

(present Brahmanbaria district). Later three brigades were formed, each identified by the initial of the commander's surname. His formation was fully structured and formalised by the end of September. As of September 1971, Commander of Sector 3 was assigned to Major A. N. M. Nuruzzaman. Major Safiullah was among those attending the Pakistan surrender on 16 December 1971 at Race Course in

Bangladesh Army

After the end of the war in December 1971, the Bangladesh government awarded Safiullah the

Bir Uttam 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 ...

the second-highest military award in the country. At forthwith he was appointed the first

Brigade Commander A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

of the newly established 46th Independent Infantry Brigade. On 5 April 1972, General Osmani resigned from his post, and Safiullah was appointed the Chief of Army Staff of

Bangladesh Army The Bangladesh Army () is the land warfare branch, and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to defend the land of Bangladesh from any external attack. Control of personnel and operations is ad ...

on 6 April 1972 by the

Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

government under

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

and was promoted to the rank of Colonel. He was then upgraded to rank of Brigadier within mid 1973 and as of 10 October 1973 his rank was ameliorated to Major General. Safiullah was the chief of staff of the Bangladesh Army during the

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of then president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. During the assassination, he was kept in the dark about the plot, intelligence failed and he could not save the President. Dismissed from the position on 25 August 1975 by the following Mushtaq government, he retired from the army. He was succeeded by

as army Chief. Suspecting his intentions based on his loyalty towards Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, General Safiullah was sent overseas with an ambassadorial post, along with fellow Bangladesh Air Force Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal A. K. Khandker. He was elected as an Awami League member of parliament in 1996.

After retirement from army and into diplomatic circles

Safiullah was appointed the first Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Malaysia. Malaysia had recognised the Independence of Bangladesh very soon after the liberation war. He thereafter went onto serve as the High Commissioner to Canada and South America. He was transferred to Sweden as the Ambassador to the Scandinavian region and finally to London as the High Commissioner. K M Safiullah demonstrated a natural charisma and diplomacy in dealing with international and diplomatic affairs and in transitioning good relations between Bangladesh and the countries in which he served. During the time of serving his posting in London he was the most senior ambassador in the Commonwealth, having spent 20 years promoting the values and mission of the newly formed Bangladesh nation.

Life in politics

In 1990, Safiullah returned to Bangladesh in retirement from diplomatic service and was reintroduced into the social fabric of national service, by being elected as an MP through the Awami League political party, the party of Sheikh Mujib. He served as an MP for the constituency of Rupganj, the area from which he originated. During his tenure as MP he was responsible for creating many roads and facilitating the formation of development and job creation in the constituency. Following two terms as an MP he retired from government.

Returning to a life as a civilian and freedom fighter

Being the most senior army officer in Bangladesh, Safiullah was invited to chair the sector commanders forum in 2014. Through this association he has led marches and protests well into his late 70s to bring to account war criminals responsible for the atrocities of 1971. He has also led movements against corruption and poverty as an idealist of the revolution.

Personal life and death

Safiullah was married to Saida Akhter. They had three daughters and a son. He died at CMH on 26 January 2025, at the age of 90.

Books

* Bangladesh At War * 15 August a National Tragedy

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shafiullah, K. M. 1934 births 2025 deaths Chiefs of Army Staff, Bangladesh Bangladesh Army generals Mukti Bahini personnel Recipients of the Bir Uttom Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members 20th-century Bangladeshi military personnel