Muhammad Hamidullah Khan, TJ, BP (; 11 September 1938 – 30 December 2011) was a military leader and a war hero in two wars fought in South Asia: the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the

Bangladesh War of Independence 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 ...

in 1971. M. Hamidullah Khan was also a public official as a member of both

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 ...

(1996~1997), and

Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (), popularly abbreviated as BNP (), is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. It was founded on 1 September 1978 by President of Bangladesh, President Ziaur Rahman, wit ...

. Hamidullah held quite a number of public offices as chairman such as Sonali Bank, Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust, Security & Exchange Commission and Board of Investment.

Early life and education

Wing Commander Hamidullah Khan was born on 11 September 1938 in Medini Mandal village Lohajang upazila

Bikrampur Bikrampur (lit. City of Courage) was a historic region and a sub-division of Dhaka within the Bengal Presidency during the period of British India. Located along the banks of the Padma River (a major distributary of the Ganges), it was a sign ...

. He passed his matriculation from Kazir Pagla A.T. Institution in 1954. He completed his Intermediate and Bachelor of Commerce degree from Jagannath College in 1956 and 1959 respectively. In 1960, he joined the

Pakistan Air Force Academy The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan (PAFAA) is an accredited four-year military academy which provides undergraduate education to officer candidates of the Pakistan Armed Forces, primarily the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).Shaheen Foundati ...

(PAFAA) as a cadet.

Career

Khan joined

as a cadet of 34th GD pilot course in 1960. He gained commission in 1962.During the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, Hamidullah was awarded the Tamgha-i-Jurat Gallantry Medal for his courage and Sitara-e-Harb War Medal for his dedication in the September 1965

Pathankot Pathankot () is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the sixth most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal ...

infiltration. In 1970, he was posted to Dhaka as the assistant provost marshal of PAF. As Flight Lieutenant he also served as the commanding officer of 5th P & S and the deputy director (Security) of Tejgaon International Airport in Pakistan Air Force. In the Bangladesh Independence War in 1971, he planned and commanded the Chilmari riverborne amphibious raid, one of the most strategically significant ground combat operation that was fought during the War of Independence of Bangladesh within the Mankachar sub~sector boundary of BDF Sector 11. During the war in 1971, he held three posts. As an official of the

Bangladesh Government 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 le ...

, M. Hamidullah Khan was the principal BDF representative of Guerilla Training at Chakulia,

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. After participating in the Sector Commanders Conference held between July 11~17th 1971, BDF C-in-C Colonel

M. A. G. Osmani Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani (1 September 1918 – 16 February 1984) was a Bangladeshi Officer (armed forces), military officer, revolutionary and politician. His military career spanned three decades, beginning with his service in the Briti ...

transferred Hamidullah to Teldhala, BDF Sector 11 HQ. During that time he received a battlefield promotion to

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

Bangladesh Forces The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Bang ...

Sector 11 headquarters was under the command of BDF commander Lt. Col.

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 ...

, who appointed Hamidullah BDF commander of Mankachar Sub-Sector 1, with additional charge of independent Roumari district. He was promoted to the rank of squadron leader during the liberation war of Bangladesh. On 3 November 1971, Sqn Ldr M. Hamidullah Khan was appointed BDF commander of Sector 11.. After the

independence of Bangladesh The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...

, he joined the Bangladesh Air Force. Later he was promoted to the rank of wing commander. He retired voluntarily in 1978. Hamidullah was the Bangladeshi representative during the 34th UNGA,

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

session in 1979 as

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Special Envoy Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

on the question of granting recognition to the

State of Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and the

plenary session A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference or deliberative assembly in which all parties or members are present. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily r ...

on UN Resolutions 242 and 439 on the question of

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

respectively. He held numerous public appointments and elected posts during his service to the country. He joined politics

in 1979, contested the Jatiya Sangsad elections and was elected lawmaker for three times in 1979, 1991 and 1996 from Louhaganj-Shirajdi Khan constituency. He was also nominated for Dhaka-15 constituency in the 2008 election. Upon his death, the president of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

gave M. Hamidullah Khan a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

with full military honors. He also authored four more books and made two documentaries on the events surrounding the war and post-independence. The Bangladesh Government named Road 23 in the town of Banani, Dhaka after him. Along with those of 55 other fighters, his biography was included in a CD released by the Bangladesh government.

Death

M. Hamidullah Khan was given a

with a military

guard of honour A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

. Hamidullah Khan and his wife, Rabeya Sulatna Khan had two sons, Murad Hamid Khan (Sonny) and Tariq Hamid Khan (Konny).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Muhammad Hamidullah Bangladesh Air Force personnel 1938 births People from Bikrampur Politicians from Dhaka Division 2011 deaths Mukti Bahini personnel Recipients of the Bir Protik Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians Directors General of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence Provisional Government of Bangladesh Former Awami League politicians