Khandaker Abdur Rashid is a Bangladeshi fugitive and former officer of the

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 ...

, who was a key organizer of the 15 August 1975 coup d'état.

Early Life

Khandaker Abdur Rashid was born on 21 July 1946 in

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 ...

of then Bengal Province, British India.

Military Career

He served in 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 ...

and defected during the start of

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 ...

. He was a freedom fighter and fought under Z force.

Assassination of Sheikh Mujib

Rashid was a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

at the time of the 15 August 1975 coup and the assassination of Sheikh Mujib. He was part of the team that raided the armory of the 2nd Field Artillery on 11:30 pm August 15 to use the weapons in the coup. He was maintaining contact with Moshtaque throughout the time. The conspirators held several meetings at his residence in

Dhaka Cantonment Dhaka Cantonment () is a cantonment located in the northern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The headquarters of the Bangladesh Army and Air Force are situated within the cantonment. The cantonment is located on the north-east end of Dhaka. History ...

. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel after the assassination. Despite having a similarity in family name, the only relation between Abdur Rashid and Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed was their common birth district. Khandaker Moshtaque Ahmed became the

President of Bangladesh President of Bangladesh (POB), officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the head of state of Bangladesh and commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The role of the president has changed three times since ...

after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib.

Political Career

He returned to Dhaka during the regime of Hussain Mohammad Ershad. He formed the Bangladesh Freedom Party with Sayed Farooq-ur-Rahman. He was elected to parliament in the 15 February 1996 general election from Comilla-6, which was discredited. Farooq was his brother in law. He was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia for the assassination of Sheikh Mujib. He lives in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as of 2000. In 2016, the

government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

passed a law that allowed for the seizure of the properties of those convicted in the killing of Sheikh Mujib. Abdur Rashid's shares in

Kushtia Kushtia () is a city located on the banks of the Gorai River in Bangladesh. It serves as the headquarters of Kushtia District and is considered the cultural capital of Bangladesh. The city is known for its Tiler Khaja (sesame sweets), kulf ...

based Jubilee Bank were ordered to be seized by

Bangladesh Bank Bangladesh Bank (BB; ) is the central bank of Bangladesh and is a member of the Asian Clearing Union. It is fully owned by the Bangladesh, Government of Bangladesh. The bank is active in developing green banking. and financial inclusion poli ...

Family Life

Khandakar Abdur-Rashid is married to Zubaida Khan, a daughter of S. H. Khan, the younger brother of Abul Kashem Khan, a leading industrialist and minister belonging to the politically prominent Khan family of Chittagong. His daughter Mehnaz Rashid is a leader of the Freedom Party and was arrested in 2009 by

Bangladesh police The Bangladesh Police () is the national law enforcement agency of Bangladesh, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs (Bangladesh), Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement of law and order with ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdur Rashid, Khandaker Living people 1946 births Bangladeshi lieutenant colonels People of the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état People convicted of murder by Bangladesh Bangladesh Freedom Party politicians 6th Jatiya Sangsad members People from Comilla District People sentenced to death in absentia