Colonel (Retd.)
Sahibzada
Sahib or Saheb (; ) is an Arabic title meaning 'companion'. It was historically used for the first caliph Abu Bakr in the Quran. The title is still applied to the caliph by Sunni Muslims.
As a loanword, ''Sahib'' has passed into several langua ...
Shahid Sarwar Azam
FIEB ( ur, محمد شاہد سرور اعظم شاه جہاں; bn, শহীদ সরোয়ার আজম or শহীদ সারোয়ার আজম; born Muhammad Shahid Sarwar Azam Shah Jahan on 31 December 1952,
sometimes spelled ''Mohammad Shaheed Sarwar Azam'') is the current head of the
Singranatore family.
In his military career spanning three decades, he was in Deputy Command of the
armed forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
of the United Nations after the onset of the
Sierra Leone Civil War in 2002 in collaboration with the
Sierra Leone Republic Armed Forces and
Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
to provide support to the
Special Court for Sierra Leone following the arrest of former
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leaders and Government minister on charges of
war crimes, and enforce the Community Arms Collection and Development Program introduced by the
United Nations Development Program
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
(UNDP) in collaboration with the local
paramount chiefs where neighbouring conflicts in
Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
(Ivory Coast) and
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
had resulted in an influx of
refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. in the area.
His younger brother, a
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
of the Bangladesh Army also served at the
United Nations Mission in Sudan in 2005.
Following his service to the UN in West Africa, he commanded the
Rajshahi and
Khagrachari fronts of the Border Guard Bangladesh (then known as the
Bangladesh Rifles) during clashes with the
Banga Sena (Bengal Army) and Indian
BSF BSF may refer to:
Organisations
* Ballerup-Skovlunde Fodbold, a Danish football club
* British Skin Foundation, a UK charity raising money for skin disease and skin cancer research
* Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, an international non profit
* ...
in the North West and during the aftermath of the
Shanti Bahini (Peace Army) operations in the South East. He was the first military
officer of the
Engineering Corps to be appointed as a
Bangladesh Rifles Sector Commander in the history of the
Bangladesh military
The Bangladesh Armed Forces ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী, Bangladesh Sashastra Bahinī) are the combined military forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It consists of the three uniformed mi ...
and held the commands after
the armed conflicts of 2001 but prior to the
2009 military massacre where all sector commanders, including both his incumbents were systematically shot and killed. In 2004, he held talks with the
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...
of India protesting killings of unarmed people at the border, and pushing Indians in Bangladesh territory, smuggling, trespassing, drugs and arms trafficking between India and the
People's Republic of Bangladesh. The same year, he presented a list of Bangladeshi fugitives in hiding in India in exchange for Indians hiding in Bangladesh. In 2005, along with General
Jahangir Alam Chowdhury
Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, (born 2 February 1953 in Munshiganj District, East Pakistan) is a retired three-star general of the Bangladesh Army and former Chief of the Bangladesh Rifles during the conflicts with Border Security Force of India and ...
outright rejected the
Indian High Commission claim of setting up border structures close to the
zero line according to a former treaty. He then led the discussion to resolve this issues within the
Indo-Bengali Treaty of 1975 with the Indian Forces.
Early life and education
Born on New Year's Eve, 1952 in
Malabare Mansion, Azam was first educated privately before being sent to
Rajshahi Collegiate School
Rajshahi Collegiate School ( bn, রাজশাহী কলেজিয়েট স্কুল) in Boalia Thana in the center of Rajshahi, a city in northern Bangladesh, is the oldest school in the country.
History
After completing MA in Phi ...
and then to
Jhenidah Cadet College, a military boarding school by his father. He was in the first graduating class of the academy in 1968. As a cadet he was interrogated by the occupying Pakistani Army during the
Great Liberation War of 1971. He was initially set on attending
College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and being a cadet at
Pakistan Military Academy in
Kakul. On 7 March 1971, he viewed more than ten thousand Bengali demonstrators forcing their way into the Jhenidah Cadet College in demonstration. His school principal,
Lt Col
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Monzurur Rahman (a Bengali), and three teachers were shot and killed. After graduating from the
Bangladesh Military Academy
Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) is the officers training institute for the officer cadets of Bangladesh Army. It is located in Bhatiary, near Chittagong Hill Tracts, in the Chittagong District of south-east Bangladesh, about 13 kilometres ...
and being commissioned into the Engineers Corps of the newly formed
Bangladesh Army in 1976, he graduated from
BUET in 1979 with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree in
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
.
Family
He is married to Dr.
Kamrun Nahar and has a daughter Shahzia Sarwar Shazi and a son,
Sanwar Azam Sunny
Sahibzada Sanwar Azam Sunny (; bn, সানওয়ার আজম সানি, born 17 December 1989) is a Bangladeshi-born artist, environmental activist and social entrepreneur. He is a columnist for '' The Daily Star'' and a blogger. He ...
.
He is the third son of
Gulbadan Begum of Natore and
Shamez Uddin Ahmed and is the brother-in-law to
MM Rahmatullah through his elder sister, Gole Afroz. He is also a grandson of
Jalaluddin Mirza
Sahibzada Mīrzā Mu'hammad Jalāl ud-Dīn Mridha Sahib, better known as Jalaluddin Mirza (1898–1975), was a Bengali Indian aristocrat in the erstwhile British Empire who served as the fifth and last hereditary Zamindar of Natore from the Hou ...
. By marriage, he is a brother-in-law of American author and architect
Saleh Uddin
Mohammad Saleh Uddin, "Badal" ( bn, মোহাম্মদ সালেহ উদদিন; born 6 November 1954) is a Bangladeshi architect, professor, author and artist.
His books, published by McGraw-Hill and John Wiley & Sons are widely ...
and a
Co-brother of Major
Raihanul Abedin.
Military career
Bangladesh Army
After being directly commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Army in May 1976, he served at
Rangpur,
Saidpur
Saidpur may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Bangladesh
* Saidpur, Bangladesh, a city in Bangladesh
** Saidpur Airport
* Saidpur Cantonment, a cantonment of the Bangladesh Army
* Saidpur Upazila, an Upazila of Nilphamari District
India
* Saidpur (Assembly con ...
,
Jessore
Jessore ( bn, যশোর, jôshor, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District situated in Khulna Division. It is situated in the south-western part of Bangladesh. It is the administrative centre (headquarter) of the eponymous district ...
,
Mymensingh
Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...
,
Sylhet
Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
,
Savar,
Gazipur and
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
military units and brigades, among others till 2002.
As a Major he was the
Staff officer to
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
Hannan Shah
Abu Sayed Matiul Hannan Shah (known as Hannan Shah; 11 October 1941 – 27 September 2016) was a Bangladeshi politician and army officer from Gazipur District. He served as the jute minister and a Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Gazipur-4 c ...
in Chittagong, (later
BNP politician, minister and Advisor to
Khaleda Zia, the
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা ...
) in 1979 before he was removed from the military by Lt. General
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 ...
following the
assassination of General Ziaur Rahman, the President of Bangladesh in 1981 at the Chittagong Circuit House.
United Nations
In 2002, Colonel Sarwar Azam became the Deputy Commander of the
Bangladesh UN Sector in Sierra Leone in Africa. The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (
UNAMSIL
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2006. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lom ...
) was a United Nations
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
Within the United N ...
operation in
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
from 1999 to 2005. It was created by the
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the
Lomé Peace Accord
Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 , an agreement intended to end the
Sierra Leonean civil war
The Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2002), or the Sierra Leonean Civil War, was a civil war in Sierra Leone that began on 23 March 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), with support from the special forces of Liberian dictator Charl ...
. UNAMSIL expanded in size several times in 2000 and 2001. It concluded its mandate at the end of 2005,
the Security Council having declared that its mission was complete. The mandate was notable for authorising UNAMSIL to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence (albeit "within its capabilities and areas of deployment") – a return to a more proactive style of UN peacekeeping. Among others, its mission was to monitor adherence to the ceasefire in accordance with the ceasefire agreement
(whose signing was witnessed by
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...
); and to provide support, as requested, to the elections, which are to be held in accordance with the present constitution of Sierra Leone
It was later revised to guard weapons, ammunition and other military equipment collected from ex-combatants and to assists in their subsequent disposal or destruction
Upon withdrawal, the remaining staff in
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
were transferred to
United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone
The United Nations Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) was established by Resolution 1620 of the United Nations Security Council in 2005 to begin operations in 2006 as a follow up to United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) which ...
(UNIOSIL). In early 2003 at
Magburaka, as Deputy Commander of UNAMSIL's Sector Centre, Colonel Azam informed the Force Commander that in spite of the recent indictments by the
Special Court for Sierra Leone of former
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) leaders and a Government minister on war crimes charges, the current security situation in the area was "calm and stable."
He said there was no significant reaction to the indictments by local leaders, the army or the police but assured the Acting Force Commander that his troops would continue to monitor the situation. The peacekeepers are also providing security and transport to the staff of the Court as they continue their investigations. The Acting Force Commander was also briefed on the Community Arms Collection and Development Programme recently introduced under the supervision of the
United Nations Development Program
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
(UNDP) in collaboration with local
paramount chiefs. Under the program, local communities are encouraged to hand over weapons at designated dropping points, particularly
shotguns
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
, that were not covered under the
recent disarmament process.
Colonel Azam commended the co-operation his troops were getting from the
Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the
Sierra Leone Police
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) is the national police force of the Republic of Sierra Leone. It is primarily responsible for law enforcement and crime investigation throughout Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Police is under the jurisdiction of the ...
who are "''quite active in maintaining law and order.''" According to Azam, conflicts in
Côte d'Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
(Ivory Coast) and
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
have resulted in an influx of
refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. in the sector. In his statement, the Force Commander commended the sector commander for the good work his troops were carrying out in the sector, noting that communities were gradually accepting the authority of local security agencies deployed throughout the sector.
[UNAMSIL Acting Force Commander Visits Tonoklili and Bombali Districts to Review Security Situation](_blank)
UN Press Briefing 21 March 2003
Azam's service ended in December 2003, and one of the two planes carrying the forces from
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
,
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
crashed in
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
killing 128 people and 15 peacekeepers from Bangladesh. Azam and other commanders boarded the second plane as the first had problems while on the ground.
Bangladesh Rifles (now known as Border Guard)
The
Bangladesh–India border
The Bangladesh–India border, known locally as the International Border (IB), is an international border running between Bangladesh and India that demarcates the eight divisions of Bangladesh and the Indian states.
Bangladesh and India share ...
, or more specially the
Radcliffe Line of 1947 put strains on the Sovereign governments of Bangladesh and India since the former's independence in 1971. Notable conflicts included India-Bangladesh Muhurichar Island Border Conflicts of 1975, 1979 and 1985. This escalated to armed conflicts between the two militaries in the early 2000s (decade). The
2001 Indian–Bangladeshi border conflict
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
was a brief armed conflict in April 2001 between
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
over the poorly marked
international border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
between the countries. , it was the first and only such major conflict between the two countries who have maintained friendly relations since the 1971
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 ...
. The
Partition of Bengal in 1947 left a poorly demarcated international border between India and Bangladesh (then-
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...
). Ownership of several villages on both sides of the de facto border were disputed and claimed by both countries. The dispute over the demarcation of the Indo-Bangladeshi border worsened due to the existence of over
190 enclaves.
One of the disputed areas was a small sliver of land near the village of Pyrdiwah which the Indian
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...
(BSF) had occupied since the 1971
liberation of Bangladesh
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 armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali ...
. The village was one of the Indian
exclaves
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
near the border of Bangladesh with the Indian state of
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
.
[Outsourcing to India – By Mark Kobayashi-Hillary]
/ref>[The Europa World Year Book 2003 – By Ed 2002 43rd, Taylor & Francis Group]
/ref> Bangladesh claimed that the village was within its territory.
, ''nautilus.org'' Five battalions of the 19th division of the Bangladesh Army, with additional personnel from the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), attacked the positions of India's Border Security Force
The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...
at Pyrdiwah at 01:00 hours on 16 April 2001.[Indian foreign policy and its neighbours – By Jyotindra Nath Dixit]
/ref> India claimed that Bangladeshi troops overran and occupied the village, which was near the town of Dauki, and that Bangladeshi forces were holding more than 20 Indian soldiers hostage. However, Bangladesh insisted that Indian forces launched an early-morning attack on their posts in the frontier district of Kurigram Kurigram District ( bn, কুড়িগ্রাম) is a district of Bangladesh in the Rangpur Division. The district is located in northern Bangladesh along the country's border with India. Under Indian rule, the area was organized as a mahakum ...
, which lay on the border with the Indian state of Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
, on the morning of 16 April. Indian forces eventually responded but failed to retake the village. The combat remained limited to the border troops of the respective nations, though mortars were used in addition to automatic weapons fire. Between 10,000 and 20,000 villagers living in the area fled the fighting, with at least 17 suffering wounds. Several villages were destroyed or heavily damaged in the fighting. 16 Indian and 2 Bangladeshi troops died during the conflict. Top Indian border security sources claimed that the BDR personnel had retreated in the Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...
sector, while in the Assam sector, the Indian BSF had vacated positions seized from Bangladesh. Fresh clashes erupted along the India–Bangladesh border just hours after both sides voiced regret for the recent killings, but by midnight of 20 April firing had again stopped. An article reported that 6,000 Indian civilians had fled the region, and Indian government officials were attempting to convince villagers to return to their homes. The Indian BSF agreed to take back bodies of five of its soldiers at Rowmari sector, whilst the other 11–17 were classified as 'missing'. Bangladesh later agreed to return the dead Indian soldiers the next day. Upon examining the bodies of the dead personnel, India alleged that the BSF men were tortured before being shot dead. Three Bangladeshi soldiers were also killed: two during combat and another who died of wounds sustained during operations.
April 2001, Bangladesh's then Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Sheikh Hasina spoke to then-Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
, Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
, and agreed to order a high-level investigation over the incident, especially the torture of BSF men. The two leaders spoke again a month later, and Hasina "expressed regrets" over the border skirmish. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Raminder Jassal reported that both India and Bangladesh would improve diplomatic channels and promised to exercise restraint in the future. India and Bangladesh started talks in March 2002 to resolve their border disputes.
Lee, R. ''The History Guy: India-Bangladesh Border Conflict (2001)''. By July 2001, the two sides established joint working groups to establish the un-demarcated sections of the border.[ Officially, Bangladesh denied it had initiated hostilities.] This was the first armed conflict between India and Bangladesh, two nations that had maintained friendly relations since Bengali independence in 1971. The end of the brief conflict saw an upsurge of nationalism in Bangladesh. In parliamentary elections, the four-party right-wing alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamaat-e-Islami ( ur, ) () is an Islamic movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamic theologian and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi.van der Veer P. and Munshi S. (eds.''Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses fro ...
Bangladesh won a majority of 196 seats out of 300.
Bangladesh ordered no courts martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
, suspensions, or transfers of any local commanders.[Bangladesh used us as a punching bag](_blank)
, ''mea.giv.in'' Both sides desisted from any further hostilities and began border talks to discuss disputes along their border. Relations were cooled down shortly afterwards.
India later began constructing a fence along the entire length of the international border with Bangladesh. India is still in the process of constructing the Indo-Bangladeshi barrier. Bangladesh protested that construction of the fence within 150 yards of the border was a gross violation of the Indo-Bangladeshi Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace
The India–Bangladesh Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace was a 25-year treaty that was signed on 19 March 1972 forging close bilateral relations between India and the newly established state of Bangladesh. The treaty was also known as ...
.[3 killed in Bangladesh-Indian border guards cross fire](_blank)
People's Daily Online, China, 17 April 2005. The Bangladesh government also protested frequent BSF incursions into Bangladesh, and shootings which resulted in the deaths of Bangladeshi citizens inside Bangladeshi territory. In a news conference in August 2008, it was stated that 59 people had been killed (34 Bangladeshis, 21 Indians, rest unidentified) trying to cross the border illegally during the prior six months.[India says 59 killed over last six months on Bangladesh border](_blank)
Reuters, 24 August 2008.
The ''Banga Sena'', (translated as the ''Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire.
The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...
'') a separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
organisation advocated formation of a separate homeland for Bengali Hindus
Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...
in Bangladesh. The group is led by Kalidas Baidya.[ ]Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the Director General of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), in a talk with the Director General of the Border Security Force
The Border Security Force (BSF) is India's border guarding organisation on its border with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) of India, and was raised in the wake of the 1965 war on 1 December 1 ...
(BSF) Ajay Raj Sharma in 2004 said that the extremist group Banga Sena was carrying out terrorist and secession
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
ist activities against Bangladesh from its bases in the Indian state of West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. Khodeza Begum in an article in the ''Global Politician
''Global Politician'' was an online magazine of politics that published analysis of current events, as well as interviews with politicians, government officials, diplomats, book authors and terrorists. It was founded in October 2004 and is based ...
'' accused India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
of helping to organise the Banga Sena. In March 2006, a senior official of the home ministry of Bangladesh expressed concern over the anti-Bangladesh activities by the Banga Sena. Regarding this he added that Bangladesh wants a peaceful border with neighbouring India and the situation has vastly improved following coordinated border patrolling by the both countries. A Bangladeshi official stated that the organisation is a "threat to the sovereignty of Bangladesh".
More than 400 members of the Banga Sena were arrested in India on 18 February 2003 for trying to cross over into Bangladesh from the district of North 24 Parganas
North 24 Parganas (abv. 24 PGS (N)) or sometimes North Twenty Four Parganas is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the tropical zone from latitude 22° 11′ 6″ north to 23° 15′ 2″ north and f ...
in southern West Bengal. According to police sources, activists belonging to the organisation began gathering at the Indo-Bangladesh border at Halencha, North 24 Parganas in the jurisdiction of the Bagda police station since morning that day.[
In January 2004, the director general of the Bangladesh Rifles gave a list of the camps of the remaining Shanti Bahni elements in the ]North-East India
, native_name_lang = mni
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, image_map = Northeast india.png
, ...
n states of Tripura
Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the east a ...
and Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
and in adjoining Indian provinces to the director general of the Border Security Force. The list documented that the Banga Sena, along with several other groups, carried out communal tension and separatist activities against Bangladesh from West Bengal. Indian Foreign Secretary said that India will co-operate in tackling the Banga Sena and other insurgent
An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric warfare, asymmetric na ...
groups. In September 2007, the representatives of two NGOs, Diphu Citizen Peace Forum and Karbi Human Rights Watch, in the Karbi Anglong District of Assam said that the Banga Sena was involved in extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
and it could pose a threat to the peace in the region. Regarding the activities of the Banga Sena, the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury made it clear that his country will not tolerate any statement or move against its territory or sovereignty. The All India Minority Forum, an organisation for religious minorities in India, also expressed concern over this organisation.
From 2004 to 2005 he led the Bangladesh Border Guard with talks against the Indian BSF BSF may refer to:
Organisations
* Ballerup-Skovlunde Fodbold, a Danish football club
* British Skin Foundation, a UK charity raising money for skin disease and skin cancer research
* Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, an international non profit
* ...
and outright rejected the interpretation of Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, Indian capital on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh
The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...
on the former's translation of the Indo-Bangladesh border treaty of 1975. In it he protested the record amount of killings of innocent citizens by Indian military, border tension, smuggling, trespassing, drugs and arms trafficking.
A large amount of smuggling occurs in the border area. Livestock, Food items and drugs
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...
are smuggled from India into Bangladesh. Bangladeshi immigrants
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
also cross the border to find jobs in India. India's BSF maintains a shoot-at-sight policy for any illegal entrants. Each year hundreds of Bangladeshis lose their lives at the hand of BSF while trying to cross the border. The border has also witnessed occasional skirmishes between BSF and BDR such as in 2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
.
BSF has often been accused by Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
government of incursions into Bangladesh territory, and indiscriminate shooting of civilians along the India-Bangladesh borders. This was in retaliation to massive illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...
from Bangladesh into India, for which the Indo-Bangladeshi Barrier is presently underway In a news conference in August 2008, Indian BSF officials admitted that they killed 59 illegals (34 Bangladeshis, 21 Indians, rest unidentified) who were trying to cross the border during the prior six months. Bangladeshi media accused the BSF of abducting 5 Bangladeshi children, aged between 8 and 15, from the Haripur Upazila
Haripur ( bn, হরিপুর) is an upazila of Thakurgaon District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh.
Geography
Haripur is located at . It has 19559 households and total area 201.06 km2.
Haripur upazila is bounded by Ranisankail Up ...
in Thakurgaon District of Bangladesh, in 2010. The children were setting fishing nets near the border. In 2010, Human Rights Watch has accused the Border Security Force of indiscriminate killings. BSF allegedly killed a 15 years old Bangladeshi girl on 7 January 2011 while she and her father was climbing the Indo-Bangladeshi barrier using a ladder.
In 2010, Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
(HRW) issued an 81-page report which detailed hundreds of abuses by the BSF. The report was compiled from interviews with victims of BSF shootings, witnesses and members of the BSF and its Bangladeshi counterpart. The report alleged that over 900 Bangladeshi citizens have been killed in the 2000s (decade) by the BSF. According to HRW, while most of them were killed when they crossed into Indian territory for indulging in cattle rustling or other smuggling activities, many were also killed in BSF's indiscriminate firing across the border.
In September 2011, the Prime Ministers of the two countries (Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
of India and Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh) signed an accord on border demarcation and exchange of adversely held enclaves. Under this agreement, the enclave residents may continue residing at their present location or move to the country of their choice.
Later life and civilian career
In 2009, Azam became the Director of Engineering (and then Chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
) for Jamuna Group
Jamuna Group is one of the largest Bangladeshi industrial conglomerates. The industries under this conglomerate include Textiles, Chemicals, Leather, motor cycles, Consumer products, Media, Advertisement etc.
Jamuna was established in the 1970 ...
's newly designed Jamuna Future Park
Jamuna Future Park is a shopping mall in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was inaugurated on 6 September 2013. Construction began in 2002, by Jamuna Builders Ltd., a subsidiary of the Jamuna Group and the exterior was completed in 2008. It has a total floor ...
, located in the business centre of Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
, the capital of Bangladesh, minutes away from the International Airport and other major landmarks. He oversaw the building and management of the largest mall and entertainment district in South Asia. As one of the largest shopping malls in the world, with a gross leasable area of over 4 million and a total area of over 5 million square feet, he constructed the 9-floor level structure on 33 acres, surrounded by an additional 16 acres of landscaping.
With more than a 150 combined elevators and escalators, it is equipped with a
banquet hall for 500 people, a health club with a spa
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...
and sauna for 2,000 people,
a children's theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
for 2,500 children in addition to 7 Cineplex theatres and a
22 lane bowling alley with around 20,000 ton unit by Dunham Bush would be
powered by the Rolls-Royce engines, rated at around 40MW. The six, 16 cylinder, gas fuelled Rolls-Royce Bergen B35:40 gas engines provides power in addition to automatic powered
generator plant supplying 45MW self-substation on the premises of the structure which also built a 5,000-lot automated parking structure below the level of the mall is surrounded by 900-room five star hotel
Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...
, a TV Channel station, a hospital and
a mosque. He further said:
It will be a great hub for business and entertainment, as well as stand as a symbol of prestige, progress and economic development of the area, ... It is the largest of its kind in the region.
Titles, rank and decorations
Medals and decorations
* 1986: Prothom Jesthatha Padak ( Decade Service)
* 1991: Sangsad Padak( 1991 National Election Medal)
* 1996: Sangsad Padak ( 1996 National Election Medal)
* 1996: Pochishtomo Padak (Silver Jubilee Medal
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...
)
* 1996: Ditiyo Jesthatha Padak ( Two Decade Service)
* 1997: BDR Padak ( Rifles Medal)
* 1999: Gurnijhar Padak ( Cyclone Relief Medal)
* 2004: UN Medal (UNAMSIL
The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2006. It was created by the United Nations Security Council in October 1999 to help with the implementation of the Lom ...
)
* 2006: Tritio Jesthatha Padak ( 25 Years Service)
Rank and titles
* 1952–1966: Sahibzada
Sahib or Saheb (; ) is an Arabic title meaning 'companion'. It was historically used for the first caliph Abu Bakr in the Quran. The title is still applied to the caliph by Sunni Muslims.
As a loanword, ''Sahib'' has passed into several langua ...
Muhammad S. Sarwar Azam Shah Jahan
* 1966–1970: Cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
Muhammad Sarwar Azam (Cadet at JCC)
* 1970–1975: Gentleman Cadet
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...
M S Azam (Training at BUET)
* 1976–1977: Officer Cadet
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...
Muhammad Sarwar Azam, at BMA
* 1977–1978: Lieutenant Muhammad Sarwar Azam
* 1978–1981: Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Muhammad Sarwar Azam
* 1981–1989: Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
Muhammad Sarwar Azam
* 1990–2001: Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Muhammad Sarwar Azam
* 2001–2006: Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Muhammad Sarwar Azam
* 2006– : Colonel Sahibzada
Sahib or Saheb (; ) is an Arabic title meaning 'companion'. It was historically used for the first caliph Abu Bakr in the Quran. The title is still applied to the caliph by Sunni Muslims.
As a loanword, ''Sahib'' has passed into several langua ...
Muhammad Sarwar Azam '' Retd''
See also
* Vice Admiral Sarwar Jahan Nizam
Vice Admiral Sarwar Jahan Nizam, ndu, psc, BN (born 1952) is the first ever Vice-Admiral and Ex- Chief of Staff for the Bangladesh Navy. He is preceded by Rear Admiral M Hasan Ali Khan ndc, psc, BN and succeeded by Vice Admiral Zahir Uddin Ahmed ...
* Bangladesh–India border
The Bangladesh–India border, known locally as the International Border (IB), is an international border running between Bangladesh and India that demarcates the eight divisions of Bangladesh and the Indian states.
Bangladesh and India share ...
* 2001 Indian–Bangladeshi border conflict
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
References
Further reading
*
UN Press Briefing: Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) 12 Sep 2003
at ReliefWeb
ReliefWeb is a humanitarian information portal founded in 1996. The portal now hosts more than 720,000 humanitarian situation reports, press releases, evaluations, guidelines, assessments, maps and infographics. The portal is an independent vehi ...
External links
Official Website
Ministry of Defence, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Official Website
The Bangladesh Army
Official Website
Border Guard Bangladesh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azam, Sarwar
Bangladeshi civil engineers
1952 births
Living people
Bangladesh Army colonels
Torture in Bangladesh
Articles containing video clips
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology alumni
Chief operating officers
21st-century Bengalis
20th-century Bengalis
Bangladeshi people of Mughal descent