Muhammad Hamidullah Khan
Encyclopedia
M. Hamidullah Khan (b. September 11, 1938 -) was the Sector Commander of BDF
Bdf
BDF or Bdf may refer to:* Ballroom Dancers' Federation* Beiersdorf AG , a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany.* Deutscher Fernschachbund, the German Correspondence Chess Federation...

 Sector 11 Bangladesh Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....

 against Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 in 1971. An Air Force officer by career, he successfully led 22,800 troops under his command of Sector 11 (Nov. 2nd 1971 to Feb. 14 1972). He was one of the principal participants during the creation of the Bangladesh Forces in the historic Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference 1971. He commanded Sector 11 with distinction and valor under the leadership of C-in-C General M.A.G. Osmani and was awarded by Bangladesh government for galantry. Popularly known as Hamidullah, he served in the Bangladesh Air Force
Bangladesh Air Force
The Bangladesh Air Force , is the air arm of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh Air Force currently employs more than 22,000 personnel including 600+ Pilots.-History:...

 until his early retirement from service in early 1979. The Bangladesh Government has bestowed his name on Road 23 in the posh residential cum commercial town of Banani
Banani
Banani is a village in Mali, populated by the Dogon people.....

 in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

. Along with 55 other freedom activists, his biography was included in a CD released by Bangladesh government. Currently he is the Executive Secretary of the Central Committee of the BNP National Executive Committee on Liberation War and Veterans Affairs. M. Hamidullah Khan was nominated four times and elected thrice as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 in the Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 Jatiya Sangsad. He authored one book and a revised edition, on the history of the creation of Bangladesh Forces and the events leading to it, BD Forces Sector 11 and its war operations including surrounding complexities, related events and consequences. His second book is a two volumes set also regarding Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....

 along with two documentaries.

Early life

M. Hamidullah Khan was born to a political family in Medini Mondal village, Louhajong Ward, in the town of Bikrampur
Bikrampur
Bikrampur pargana is situated 12 miles south of Dhaka, the modern-day capital of Bangladesh. It lies in the Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. It is a historic region in Bengal. The region is famous for its early Buddhist scholarships and in the later period for its cultural influences...

, (known to be the oldest capital of Bengal before Bhawal
Bhawal Estate
Bhawal Estate was a large zamindari estate in Bengal in modern-day Bangladesh. Bhawal Estate spread over and covered 2,274 villages with the combined population around 500,000, many of them tenant farmers...

 and Sonargaon
Sonargaon
Sonargaon is the ancient capital of Isa Khan's kingdom in Bengal. It is located near the current-day city of Narayanganj, Bangladesh....

) southern Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

, in then Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

 Province of the colonial British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

. He is the second of the nine children (one deceased at infant age) born to Muhammad Dabiruddin Khan and Jasimunnesa Khan. His father, Muhammad Dabiruddin Khan, was a Forest Ranger in the British Imperial Forest Service under the Bengal Forest Department and later Assam Forest Department in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

. Hamidullah Khan's childhood was divided between living in the rural town of Bikrampur, Dhaka, and the city proper. After primary school at Silver Jubilee Anglo-Bengali Government English School, Guwahati, Assam, and secondary school at Kazir Pagla A.T Institute, he moved out with his parents and settled in Mughaltully Ward of Dhaka located by the Buriganga River
Buriganga River
The Buriganga River is the main river flowing beside Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh. The average depth is and maximum depth is .-History:...

 in 1954. With the departure of the British and official creation of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 in 1947, Hamidullah Khan's father opted for service with government of India instead of Pakistan. Though the family remained in Dhaka (East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...

), Dabiruddin Khan later joined them after retirement in 1957. As Hamidullah's mother Jasminessa was burdened with raising 8 children by herself and managing the entire household, leadership and management was a trait Hamidullah encountered with at an early age. Hamidullah spent his adolescent years in southern Dhaka until he joined the Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...

. After Bangladesh became independent in 1971, Hamidullah continued service with the Bangladesh Air Force
Bangladesh Air Force
The Bangladesh Air Force , is the air arm of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh Air Force currently employs more than 22,000 personnel including 600+ Pilots.-History:...

 and remaining family members permanently resettled in "Bikrampur House", Dhaka Cantonment.. Hamidullah Khan married Rabeya Sultana Khan on August 1, 1965, third daughter of Mokbul Hossain Siddiqi, then Commissioner(East Pakistan) of Taxes and Excise . They have two sons, Tariq Hamid Khan (Konny), Ziad Hamid Khan (Ronny-deceased), and Murad Hamid Khan (Sonny).

Education

Hamidullah spent his adolescent years in Dhaka and enrolled in the Jagannath College there in 1954. After completion of senior secondary school in 1956, he pursued his academics at the same college for the Bachelor of Arts in Commerce (General). In the year 1959, while preparations were finalised to study law, Hamidullah Khan accepted an appointment instead as a candidate in the Pakistan Air Force Academy
Pakistan Air Force Academy
"RAF Risalpur", "Risalpur Airbase/Airfield" & "Pakistan Air Force/PAF Base Risalpur" redirects here.The Pakistan Air Force Academy also known as PAFA, is an accredited co-educational four-year college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the Pakistan Air Force...

, and reported to Risalpur
Risalpur
Risalpur is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 15 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 1014 feet above sea level, it is bounded on the south and west by the Kabul and...

 as a Flight Cadet
Flight Cadet
A flight cadet is a military or civilian occupational title that is held by someone who is in training to operate an airplane. The trainee does not need to become a pilot, as flight cadets may also learn to serve as a co-pilot, navigator, or flight engineer....

.

Early career

Pakistan Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...

 - M. Hamidullah Khan was Commissioned a Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...

 in June 1962 in Administration and Special Duties (Br.). He served in the PAF
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...

 at bases in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....

, Chaklala, Sargodha
Sargodha
Sargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan.Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the eleventh largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...

, Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

, and finally Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

, then part of East Pakistan. In late autumn of 1970, his last assignment in the PAF, Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...

 Hamidullah was transferred to Pakistan Eastern Zone as Assistant Provost Marshal
Provost Marshal
The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police .There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire, gate security, and...

 and Commanding Officer No 5. P and S Unit(Independent) with additional responsibility as Director of Security, Tejgaon International Airport, Dhaka. He was selected for promotion to Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...

 in December 1970. As fate chose an unknown direction, his promotion came under an entirely different reality. In the month of June, during the Bangladesh war of independence, Hamidullah Khan was awarded a Battlefield Promotion by order of the BDF
Bdf
BDF or Bdf may refer to:* Ballroom Dancers' Federation* Beiersdorf AG , a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany.* Deutscher Fernschachbund, the German Correspondence Chess Federation...

 C-in-C General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 M.A.G. Osmani, while serving as sub-Sector Commander, BDF
Bdf
BDF or Bdf may refer to:* Ballroom Dancers' Federation* Beiersdorf AG , a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany.* Deutscher Fernschachbund, the German Correspondence Chess Federation...

 Sector 11. Three years after independence Hamidullah khan received his final promotion to the rank of Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...

. He retired in 1978 and while in LPR joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party , commonly referred to as the BNP, is the mainstream center-right political party in Bangladesh. BNP ruled Bangladesh total 18 years since her independence, the longest than any other party in Bangladesh...

 answering the call to public service from his war colleague Ziaur Rahman
Ziaur Rahman
President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...

.

Bangladesh Liberation War (1971)

Reporting to Bangladesh Gov't-in-Exile
Induction Bangladesh Forces
Colonel Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani, C-in-C Bangladesh Forces
Chakulia
Chakulia
Chakulia is a city and a notified area in Purbi Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand, India.-Geography:Chakulia is located at . It has an average elevation of 115 metres .-History:...

 Guerilla Training Camp
Major Ziaur Rahman
Ziaur Rahman
President Ziaur Rahman, Bir Uttam, was a Bangladeshi politician and general, who read the declaration of Independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later became the seventh President of Bangladesh from 1977 until 1981...

Creation and Establishment of Sector 11 and Z - Force at Teldhala
Sub Sector Commander (Mankarchar)
Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference 1971
Guerilla Expeditions I -
Landings, Assaults, Ambushes and Raids
Sub-Sector Commander Major Abu Taher, Mahendraganj-Sector HQ
Banga Bir General M.A.G. Osmani - Inspection of Mankarchar and Secured Zones
Sector Commander
Guerilla Expeditions II -
Landings, Assaults, Ambushes and Raids
- Chilmari Expedition
Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference 1972 -
Gallantry Award Committee
Sector Dissolvement
Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Bangladesh Government

Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)
The Ministry of Defence , is a federal government ministry tasked with coordinating and supervising all major government agencies and federal departments of the government relating directly to National security and the Pakistan Defense Forces...

 - Bangladesh Air Force
Bangladesh Air Force
The Bangladesh Air Force , is the air arm of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh Air Force currently employs more than 22,000 personnel including 600+ Pilots.-History:...


Directorates served in were Bangladesh Air Force
Bangladesh Air Force
The Bangladesh Air Force , is the air arm of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh Air Force currently employs more than 22,000 personnel including 600+ Pilots.-History:...

, Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment
Dhaka Cantonment
Dhaka Cantonment is a cantonment located in the northern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The headquarters of Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force are situated within this cantonment...

; Intelligence and Security; Air Education and Training. Also held the position of Chief of Air Force Security(Provost Marshall) and Director Air Intelligence.
Jatiyo Sangsad (National Assembly
National Assembly
National Assembly is either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. The best known National Assembly, and the first legislature to be known by this title, was that established during the French Revolution in 1789, known as the Assemblée nationale...

) - Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...


After retirement from military service he continued on with public service in the legislative branch of Bangladesh government. He was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 from
Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

 - 5 (Bikrampur) in the Second Parliament: 2 years 11 months (2 April 1979 - 24 March 1982)
Munshigonj - 2 (Louhajong-Shiraj di Khan) Fifth Parliament: 4 years 9 months (5 March 1991 - 24 December 1995)
Munshigonj - 2 (Louhajong-Shiraj di Khan) Sixth Parliament: 12 days (19 March 1996 - 30 March 1996)
Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

 - 15 (Mirpur-Kafrul) Nominated - Ninth Parliamentary Elections: 29th December 2008 (0 Days)


Represented Bangladesh during the 36th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. He served in different positions in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 Government throughout his active life. Hamidullah served as chairman of Bangladesh Post Graduate Medical Research Centre (1979–1982), Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust (1993–1996), Janata Bank
Janata Bank
Janata Bank is a state-owned commercial bank of Bangladesh established in 1971. Its headquarter is situated at Motijheel in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh...

 (1995–1996). Hamidullah Khan reemerged from long absence from parliamentary politics and received nomination for the electoral seat of Dhaka-15 (Mirpur and Kafrul) for the 9th Parliamentary General Elections held on Dec 29th 2008.

Career service highlights

  • India-Pakistan Conflict 1965
  • Independence War Bangladesh
    Bangladesh
    Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

     1971
    • Chakulia
      Chakulia
      Chakulia is a city and a notified area in Purbi Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand, India.-Geography:Chakulia is located at . It has an average elevation of 115 metres .-History:...

       Guerilla Training Camp - Chief Training Coordinator and BD Interim Government Liaison Representative
    • Participant at the Sector Commanders Conference
    • BDF
      Bdf
      BDF or Bdf may refer to:* Ballroom Dancers' Federation* Beiersdorf AG , a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany.* Deutscher Fernschachbund, the German Correspondence Chess Federation...

       Sector 11 - Mankarchar Sub-Sector Commander
    • BDF
      Bdf
      BDF or Bdf may refer to:* Ballroom Dancers' Federation* Beiersdorf AG , a multinational corporation based in Hamburg, Germany.* Deutscher Fernschachbund, the German Correspondence Chess Federation...

      Sector 11 - Commander
  • 1975 Soldier Uprising Crisis
  • JAL
    JAL
    JAL or Jal can mean the following:* Japan Airlines, ICAO airline designator: JAL* El Lencero Airport in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico * JAL , a compiler for the PIC microcontroller* The state of Jalisco in México...

     Flight 472

External links

  • http://www.gunijan.org/GjProfDetails.php?GjProfId=182
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