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Muhammad Hamidullah Khan Muhammad Hamidullah Khan (September 11, 1938 -) successfully led 22,800 troops under his command while the Sector Commander of Sector No.11 (Nov 2nd 1971 to Feb. 1972) during the glorious Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Popularly known as Hamidullah, he served as an officer in the Bangladesh Air Force until his early retirement from service in 1979. He was elected Member of Parliament from Bikrampur (now Munshigonj) in Bangladesh in the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Parliament. He served in different positions in Bangladesh Government through out his active life. He has authored three books on the War of Liberation and Bangladesh Air Force so far on the factual accounts from a huge cache of references and his own experiences. He has stayed away from political life and is involved in collecting and publishing unknown facts about the war. Early Life: Hamidullah Khan was born in the southern Dhaka town
of Bikrampur, in Bengal Province of British India. His father,
Muhammad
Dabiruddin Khan, was a Forest Ranger with the Imperial Forest
Service. Hamidullah's childhood was divided between living in the
rural
town of Bikrampur and the main city. After primary and secondary
school
at Kazir Pagla A.T Institute, he moved to Mughaltully (presently
Old Dhaka) with his family. With the creation of the newly formed
Pakistan and Bharat in 1947, Hamidullah Khan's father opted for
service with Bharat instead of Pakistan. Though the family
remained in Dhaka
and was later joined by Dabiruddin after retirement. Hamidullah
spent his adolescent years in Dhaka and enrolled in the Jagannath
College
there in 1954. After completion of senior secondary school, he
went on continued with his Baccalaureatte of Arts in Commerce
(General),
graduating in 1959. While contemplating to attend law School
at Dhaka University, Hamidullah had quickly gotten attracted to
the newspaper
notifications of the services in the armed forces. In the same
year, he received and accepted an appointment as a candidate
in the Pakistan
Air Force Academy in Risalpur as an Air Officer Cadet. He was
commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Pakistan Air Force in June
of 1962. Asst. Provost Marshall - East Pakistan In late autumn of 1970, Flight Lieutenant Hamidullah was transferred to Pakistan Eastern Zone as Air Force Assistant Provost Marshall with command of No.5 P and S Unit and as Director Security of Tejgaon International Airport. Soon to befall upon him was hardly six months away, the horror of freedom struggle. Chakulia Guerilla Training Camp. References: Ministry of Defense Gazette Notification No.8/25/D-1/72-1378, Dated 15 December 1973. Sector Documents/1971/No.11 Sector/Liberation War, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Bangladesh Army, Personnel Services Directorate - Records Office, Bangladesh Air Force - Department of Records and Archives, Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament), Quarterdeck - Directorate Ex- Servicemen's Affairs, Naval HQ, New Delhi, 1976, National Archives and Museum Historical Records, Prothom Alo (A National Daily): The Failure of Bangladesh, 8 May 2005, Janata Bank Records Biography of Previous Chairmen Served, Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust, Northern Frontier '71 Factual Accounts by M. Hamidullah Khan |
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