Air Vice Marshal (retd.) Abdul Ghaffar Mahmud (born 1934) is a former chief of the

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী, Bangladesh Biman Bahini) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The Air Force is primarily responsible for air defence of B ...

. He negotiated the release of hostages from the hijacked Japan Airlines Flight 472. For his role in keeping the situation under control and securing the lives of every single passenger, Japanese government had conferred upon him the "Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star" awards.

Early life

Mahmud was born in 1934. His father taught at a Aliya Madrasah and Mahmud studied at a Madrassah in Kolkata. After the 1947 Partition of India, he and his family moved to East Pakistan.

Career

Mahmud joined the Pakistan Air Force in 1952. Mahmud was a transport pilot of the

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

transport airlift aircraft in the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

. During the Liberation War he was posted as a

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

in the high altitude region of

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...

. He was repatriated to Independent Bangladesh in 1973 and made director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on the orders of General

M. A. G. Osmani Muhammad Ataul Goni Osmani ( bn, মুহাম্মদ আতাউল গণি ওসমানী; 1 September 1918 – 16 February 1984), also known as ''Bangabir'' (the Hero of Bengal), was a Bengali military leader. Osmani's career ...

. He resigned from Biman Bangladesh Airlines after the chairman of the airlines revoked the suspension of a pilot without his consultation. He found himself at a disadvantage at Bangladesh Air Force were promotion priority was given to veterans of

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

. After the

15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état The 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état was a military coup launched by mid ranking army officers in Bangladesh on 15 August 1975. The officers were part of a conspiracy to assassinate Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh, ...

and

assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman The first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family were killed during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of young Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, Dhanmondi 32 resi ...

, the Chief of Air Staff,

A. K. Khandker Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Abdul Karim Khandker, Bir Uttom (born 1930) is a former planning minister of the Government of Bangladesh. He is a retired diplomat and was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Banglad ...

, was removed and posted to a diplomatic mission. Khandker was replaced by

Muhammad Ghulam Tawab Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Ghulam Tawab (1 July 1930 – 23 February 1999) was the second chief of the air staff of Bangladesh Air Force who also served as deputy chief martial law administrator of Bangladesh with General Ziaur Rahman and Admiral M ...

who was replaced by Khademul Bashar. Mahmud succeeded Bashar, who died in a plane crash, as Chief of Air Staff. He was the chief of Bangladesh Air Force from 5 September 1976 to 8 December 1977. He was part of a delegation that asked President Abu Sadat Muhammad Sayem to relinquish power in favor of General

Ziaur Rahman Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup d' ...

. In 1977 he negotiated with the

Japanese Red Army The was a militant communist organization active from 1971 to 2001. It was designated a terrorist organization by Japan and the United States. The JRA was founded by Fusako Shigenobu and Tsuyoshi Okudaira in February 1971 and was most active i ...

who had hijacked Japan Airlines Flight 472 and landed the flight in Dhaka Airport. He worked to get the hostages freed. During the hostage crises on 1 October

1977 Bangladesh Air Force mutiny The 1977 Bangladesh Air Force mutiny was an attempted coup staged on 2 October 1977 by members of Bangladesh Air Force and the Signal Corps of Bangladesh Army. Background Anwar Sadat's warning On 25 September 1977, President Ziaur Rahman went t ...

took place, Group Captain Ansar Chowdhury was killed beside Mahmud. Captain

Sadik Hasan Rumi Sadik Hasan Rumi is a former Major General of Bangladesh Army who served as Director General of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) from May 2002 to May 2007. Career During the 1977 Bangladesh Air Force mutiny, Captain Rumi led an ...

led an operation to rescue Abdul Gafoor Mahmud, Chief of Air Staff of

. His brother in law Group Captain Raas Masud was killed in the mutiny. Squadron Leader Md. Abdul Matin and Wing Commander Anwar Ali Shaikh were also killed in the mutiny. Mahmud resigned in December 1977 over the fallout of the mutiny and subsequent mass trials. Mahmud became the minister for food, health and rehabilitation in the cabinet of President

Hussain Muhammad Ershad Lt. Gen. Hussain Muhammad Ershad ( bn, হুসেইন মুহাম্মদ এরশাদ; 1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi Army Chief politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1983 to 1990, a time ma ...

. In April 2017, Mahmud was awarded the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

, Gold and Silver Star for his role in negotiating with the hijackers of Japan Airlines Flight 472.

Personal life

Mahmud married Syeda Asiya Begum in 1957 and they got a divorce in 1964. He remarried to Hasina Maya.

Bibliography

* My Destiny-Autobiography.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahmud, Abdul Gafoor Living people Bangladesh Air Force air marshals Chiefs of Air Staff (Bangladesh) 1934 births Bangladeshi people of Indian descent People from Kolkata