Mir Shawkat Ali,

Bir Uttom Bir Uttom ( bn, বীর উত্তম, lit=Great Valiant Hero) is the second highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh after the Bir Sreshtho and the highest gallantry award for a living individual. Since the independence of Bang ...

(11 January 1938 - 20 November 2010) was a 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 provide necessary forces and capabilities to deliver the Bangladeshi government's security and def ...

and also a politician of the

Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...

. He was a

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

during

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 ...

and a Sector Commander of the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

. He was the state minister Food, and cabinet minister of Labour and Manpower. He was awarded the Bir Uttom for his contribution during Bangladesh liberation war.

Early life

He was born in Nazira Bazar,

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 ...

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

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 ( bn, ঢাকা কলেজ also known as DC) is the oldest secular educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhaka. It offers higher secondary education ( HSC). It has Honours and Masters programs as well which are aff ...

in 1955. After graduation he joined the

Pakistan Military Academy Pakistan Military Academy ( ur, ), also referred to by its acronym PMA. PMA is an officers training school located near Kakul village in the city and district of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established in 1947. It is the sole service academy ...

. In 1958 he received his commission in

Pakistan army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

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. He first experience of battle came from the

1965 Indo-Pak War The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

in Rangpur border. He joined the Eighth East Bengal Regiment in 1971 at Sholasahar,

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 ...

Bangladesh liberation war

After

Operation searchlight Operation Searchlight was the codename for a planned 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 opera ...

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

East Bengal Regiment The East Bengal Regiment ( bn, ইস্ট বেঙ্গল রেজিমেন্ট) is an infantry regiment ( regimental system type) and the largest military formation of the Bangladesh Army. History The East Bengal Regiment was for ...

. 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 Kalurghat ( bn, কালুরঘাট) is located several miles north of the port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh, and is mostly famous for several heavy industries located there. A bridge near Kalurghat on the Karnaphuli River connects Chittago ...

fell he retreated to

Bandarban Bandarban ( bn, বান্দরবান, Chakma: 𑄝𑄚𑄴𑄘𑄧𑄢𑄴𑄝𑄚𑄴) is a district in South-Eastern Bangladesh, and a part of the Chittagong Division. It is one of the three hill districts of Bangladesh and a part of ...

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

, 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 ( bn, পুরান ঢাকা, Puran 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 ( bn, জাহাঙ্গীরনগ� ...

Development Committee and Bangladesh Football Federation, Chief Martial Law Administrator of Dhaka. From 1980 to 1981 he was the Principal Staff Officer of the Bangladesh Army. He retired in the rank of Lieutenant-General.

Political career

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

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 ...

. 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 since 2008 by Rashed Khan Menon of the Workers Party of Bangladesh. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Dhaka South City Corporation wards 8 thr ...

. 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 Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...

regarding

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 ...

inclusion in the Four Party Alliance. 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 Bangladesh Army generals Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians High Commissioners of Bangladesh to the United Kingdom 1938 births 2010 deaths Mukti Bahini personnel 5th Jatiya Sangsad members 6th Jatiya Sangsad members Recipients of the Bir Uttom Principal Staff Officers (Bangladesh)