Khaled Mosharraf

During the outset of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Major Mosharraf was the Brigade Major of the 57th Infantry Brigade, which was based in Dhaka. On 22 March 1971, he was posted to Comilla as the Second in Command of the 4th East Bengal Regiment (EBR).[2] On 24 March, while Mosharraf was on his way to Shamshernagar, his military vehicles were stopped by civilians at Brahmanbaria, who informed Mosharraf that Pakistani troops were killing civilians.[7] After being informed by Major Shafaat Jamil of the situation in Dhaka, Mosharraf led a mutiny of the 4th EBR on 27 March.[7]

The troops of the 4th EBR wanted to go to Dhaka to fight the Pakistani army, but Mosharraf warned that:[7]

"You may kill only a few Pakistani soldiers and you may also get killed. Presently your life is very precious for our country, if you stay alive you could train hundreds of young people to become soldiers and fight for our motherland. Yes, we will have to fight the Pakistan Army someday soon, but not now. This is not the time to go for confrontation and we need to re-equip and gain our strength."

On 4 April 1971, a conference was held at Teliapara under the leadership of Colonel M.A.G. Osmani, where it was agreed that eastern Bangladesh should be divided into four sectors, with Mosharraf being assigned to commander of sector 2, which comprised Comilla, Dhaka, Faridpur and part of Noakhali.[7]

In June 1971, Mosharraf and A.T.M. Haider formed a special commando team known as Crack Platoon, whose objective was to terrorise the Pakistani Army. The Crack Platoon carried out a number of operations in Dhaka, including a grenade attack on 9 June and an attack on 5 power stations on 19 July.[8]

On 23 October 1971, Mosharraf was wounded by a gunshot to the head and was treated at a military hospital in Lucknow.[4]

When Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed on 15 August 1975, Mosharraf was instructed by General Ziaur Rahman to prepare an operation in the case of an intervention by the Indian army.[9] Following the 15 August coup, the chain of command broke down in the Bangladesh army, as the junior officers who led the coup began 'acting like generals'.[5] Wanting to restore order, Mosharraf organised meetings on 18 and 19 August, which were attended by the commanders of the army, police and BDR.[9]

The junior officers who organised the 15 August coup were staying in Bangabhaban with the new president Khandakar Mustaq Ahmad. On 22 August, Mosharraf visited Mustaq and requested that the troops stationed at Bangabhaban be removed, which Mustaq refused.[9] On 24 August, Ziaur Rahman replaced K.M. Shafiullah as the Chief of Army Staff.[9]

During the early hours of 3 November 1975, Mosharraf and Colonel Shafaat Jamil used the Dhaka Brigade to capture all key points around the capital, except for Bangabhaban.[5] Ziaur Rahman was forced to resign as Chief of Army Staff and Mosharraf appointed himself as Major General and declared himself as the new Chief of Army Staff.[5] The leaders of the 15 August coup, along with the artillery and armoured troops under their command were holding out at Bangabhaban. To avoid a confrontation, Mosharraf allowed the junior army officers involved in the 15 August coup to leave Bangladesh unharmed.[5] Before the junior army officers left, a group of soldiers under their command killed four Awami League politicians in Dhaka Central Jail.[10]

Before Ziaur Rahman was arrested in the early hours of 3 November 1975, he made a phone call to his friend Lt. Colonel (retired) Abu Taher and urged him to do something.[11] In response, Taher and his clandestine group Biplobi Shainik Sangstha (BSS) held meetings every night between 4 and 6 November in preparation for an uprising, which was launched during the early hours of 7 November. When the coup began, Mosharraf was at Bangabhaban, with A.T.M. Haider and Nazmul Huda.[12]

Upon realising that their 3 November coup had been undone, Khaled Mosharraf, A.T.M. Haider and Nazmul Huda left Bangabhaban to seek safety at the headquarters of the 10 Bengal Regiment. Although the soldiers of the 10 Bengal Regiment did not have any direct link to the Biplobi Shainik Sangstha, they came to know about the mutiny.[12] Colonel Nawazesh, who was the commanding officer of the 10 Bengal Regiment, received a phone call from Ziaur Rahman, who asked Nawazesh to ensure the safety of Mosharraf and his companions.[12]

Nawazesh held a meeting with other officers of the 10 Bengal Regiment, during which two officers, Captain Asad and Captain Jalil allegedly said "Let the bastards come, we'll sort them out", referring to Mosharraf.[12]