A.N.M Nuruzzaman (December 1938 – 16 March 1993) was a Bangladeshi army officer, who was also a sector commander in the
Bangladeshi War of Liberation. After the war he served as the first and only director general of the
paramilitary force
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
,
Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini
The Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini ( bn, জাতীয় রক্ষী বাহিনী, lit=National Defense Force) was a Bangladeshi para-military force formed in 1972 by the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman government.
Initially formed to curb the insur ...
.
Biography
Nuruzzaman was born in December 1938 in Saidabad, Raipura,
Narsingdi
Narsingdi /Narsingdi Sadar ( bn, নরসিংদী) is a city and headquarters of Narsingdi District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Dhaka-Sylhet highway connects Narsingdi with the capital and other major cities. The district is ...
. Abu Ahmad, his father, was a government officer. He graduated from Sunamganj High School and Sylhet Murari Chand College. He graduated from
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
in 1959 and afterward joined Pakistan Military Academy. In 1960 he was commissioned in the Pakistan army as second lieutenant.
Career
In 1968 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and posted in
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of ...
, West Pakistan.
Agartala Conspiracy case
He was one of the accused in the
Agartala Conspiracy Case
The Agartala Conspiracy Case was a sedition case in Pakistan during the rule of Ayub Khan against Awami League, brought by the government of Pakistan in 1968 against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the then leader of the Awami League and East Pakistan ...
. After the
Agartala Conspiracy Case
The Agartala Conspiracy Case was a sedition case in Pakistan during the rule of Ayub Khan against Awami League, brought by the government of Pakistan in 1968 against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the then leader of the Awami League and East Pakistan ...
was withdrawn he was reinstated in service.
Bangladesh Liberation war
Nuruzzaman joined the War of liberation in 1971 in the ''S-Force'' under
KM Shafiullah, commander of Sector-3. In September he was made the commander of sector-3 by the
Mujibnagar Government
The Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, popularly known as the Mujibnagar Government, was established following the declaration of independence of East Pakistan as Bangladesh on 10 April 1971. Headed by prime minis ...
. He served in that position till the end of Bangladesh Liberation War.
Post Independence
He joined the Bangladesh army after the independence of Bangladesh, he was promoted to Brigadier general. On 28 January 1972, he and
Anwar Ul Alam meet to discuss the formation of Rakhi Bahini in
Gonobhaban
The Ganabhaban ( bn, গণভবন, lit. ''People's House'') is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, which is located on the north corner of the National Parliament House in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. After independence ...
. In March 1972 Rakhi Bahini came into existence. He was the director of
Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini. A cable from Dhaka American embassy was sent to note that he left for the United States on 11 August 1975. The cable was sent on 14 August 1975. He was in London when
Sheikh Mujib
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
was assassinated in 1975.
After the Assassination of Bangladesh Liberation war in 1975 he was placed under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and performed diplomatic responsibilities in Australia, Philippines, Senegal, Canada and Sweden.
Death
He died on 16 March 1993 at Stockholm while working as ambassador of Bangladesh to Sweden.
Legacy
The Government of Bangladesh awarded him the highest living gallantry award ''
Bir Uttam'' for his role in the Bangladesh Liberation War. Dhaka City Corporation renamed a road Bir Uttam ANM Nuruzzaman Sarak after him.
Footnotes
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuruzzaman, A. N. M.
1938 births
1993 deaths
Ambassadors of Bangladesh to Sweden
Bangladesh Army generals
Recipients of the Bir Uttom
Mukti Bahini personnel
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members