Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Mir Shawkat Ali, BU, ndc, psc (11 January 1938 – 20 November 2010) was a three star general in

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 ...

and also a politician of the

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 ...

. He was a

freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...

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 ...

and a sector commander of the

Mukti Bahini 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 Ba ...

. He was the state minister of food, and cabinet minister of labour and manpower. He was a

war hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such things for the sake o ...

and awarded the Bir Uttom for his contribution during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Early life

He was born in Nazirabazar,

Dacca 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 ...

of then Bengal Province, British India (now in

Dhaka Division Dhaka Division () is an Divisions of Bangladesh, administrative division of Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains as a population magnet, and covers an area of 20, ...

, Bangladesh) on 11 January 1938. He studied at Mahuttuli Free Primary School in Dhaka. He graduated from Armanitola Government High School in 1953 and

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 1955. After graduation, he joined the

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) is a military academy located nearby Kakul village in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Established in October 1947, it is the only service academy in Pakistan that trains cadets to serve as army of ...

. In 1958, he received his commission in

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

In Pakistan Army

He was commissioned in the 1st East Bengal Regiment (Senior Tigers) but served in a number of units including the military intelligence department. His first experience of battle came from the 1965 Indo-Pak War in Rangpur border. He joined the Eighth East Bengal Regiment in 1971 at Sholasahar,

Chittagong 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 ...

Bangladesh Liberation War

After

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was a military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the operation on the basis of ant ...

on 25 March 1971, he revolted with his unit, the Eighth

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 ...

. He joined the ''Bangladesh Liberation War''. On 30 March 1971, he was given command of the Entire Regiment. He commanded the Battle of Kalurghat in April 1971. After Kalurghat fell, he retreated to

Bandarban Bandarban is a small town in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Bandarban District. It is located on the Sangu River. Demographics According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Bandarban city had a population of 54,450 and ...

with his unit. He crossed the border into India. After the formation of Mujibnagar Government, he was appointed Sector-5 commander. He commanded 12 thousand men in his sector. In August 1971, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. For his gallantry, he was awarded

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 ...

, the second highest award in Bangladesh for his role in the war.

In Bangladesh Army

He formed the Infantry Brigade in Chittagong from 1972 to 1974. In 1975, he was made the Chief of General Staff of Bangladesh Army. He was chairman of

Old Dhaka Old Dhaka () is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar (), the capital of Bengal Subah, Mughal Province of Bengal and named after the Mughal em ...

Development Committee and president of

Bangladesh Football Federation Bangladesh Football Federation (, ''Bānglādesh fūṭbôl fēḍārēshôn'') is the governing body that administers the sport of association football in Bangladesh. It is in charge of running the country's men's and women's national teams, ...

(1976–78), Chief Martial Law Administrator of Dhaka. During the 1976 Bogra Mutiny, he pinned down the 9th Infantry Division with the Dhaka Brigade. After the 1977 Bangladesh air force mutiny, he was posted to Jessore due to his rivalry with Brigadier Manzur. However, after the assassination of Zia, then-Major General Manzur, contacted him and gave him orders from a "revolutionary council". Ali refused to follow them and remained loyal to the civilian government. From 1980 to 1985, he was the Principal Staff Officer of the Bangladesh Army and retired at the rank of

on 1985. After him, the principal staff post was suspended for nearly six years by President

Hussain Muhammad Ershad Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi military officer, dictator and politician who served as President of Bangladesh, the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990. He seized power as a result of a 1982 ...

whom was without an intermediary charge of

Armed Forces Division The Armed Forces Division (AFD) () is the principal national command authority for national defense of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The command and control of the Bangladesh Armed Forces is exercised in this division, under direct contro ...

, succeeding him by Major General

Atiqur Rahman M. Atiqur Rahman ndc, G+ (1 September 1931 – 20 December 2023) was a lieutenant general and Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff from 1986 to 1990. Early life M. Atiqur Rahman was born in Murshidabad. He studied at Union Academy, Delhi. His fa ...

as administrator at the AFD headquarters.

Political career

After retirement, he served as the ambassador to Egypt, Austria, United Kingdom, Sudan, Germany, and Portugal. He resigned his diplomatic post in protest against the dictatorship of

. He joined the

shortly afterwards. In 1991, he was elected to parliament from

Dhaka-8 Dhaka-8 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Boundaries The constituency consists of wards 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 19, 20, 21 of Dhaka South City Corporation. History The constitu ...

. He was the state minister Food, and cabinet minister of Labour and Manpower. He was the vice president of Sector Commanders Forum.

War criminals trial

As a freedom fighter, he took issue with BNP's alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami since their top leaders were accused of war crime. He left BNP because of disagreements with chairperson

Khaleda Zia Begum Khaleda Zia (born August–September 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second fema ...

regarding

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamist fundamentalist movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamist author and theorist Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood. It is considered one of the most influential Isla ...

inclusion in the

Four Party Alliance The 20 Party Alliance was a Bangladeshi big tent political coalition led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). It was originally formed as the 18 Party Alliance on 18 April 2012 in Dhaka, extending its predecessor the Four Party Alliance. The ...

. In a statement, he said:

It hurts my conscience when I have to sit with Razakaar and al-Badrs at the same table. It reminds me of the days in 1971 when boys fought under my command and laid down their lives.

He was one of the pioneers of war crimes trial movement. He campaigned countrywide to raise support for the trial.

Death

On 20 November 2010, he died in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was buried with full military honors in Banani Military graveyard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Mir Shawkat Bangladeshi generals Bangladesh Army generals Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians High commissioners of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom National Defence University, Pakistan alumni Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Egypt Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Austria Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Sudan Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Germany Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Portugal 1938 births 2010 deaths Mukti Bahini personnel 5th Jatiya Sangsad members 6th Jatiya Sangsad members Recipients of the Bir Uttom Principal Staff Officers (Bangladesh) Presidents of the Bangladesh Football Federation Bangladeshi football administrators