Atiqur Rahman

M Atiqur Rahman studied in Union Academy, Delhi. He did college in Gordon College, Rawalpindi.

Atiqur Rahman was commissioned in 1954 in the Pakistan Army's artillery regiment.

Rahman did not join Bangladesh Liberation War, as he was held as a prisoner of war (POW). He returned from Pakistan in 1974 and was allowed to join Bangladesh Army. He was second Pakistan returned officer to become Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff after Ershad.

During assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he was a colonel and later a brigade commander of Chittagong. He supported the 1982 Bangladesh coup d'état by Ershad to seize power. He was a major general and head of Bangladesh Rifles during this time.[1] In the early hours of March 24, BDR chief Major General Atiqur Rahman with Bangladesh Air Force chief Air-Vice Marshal Sultan Mahmud and Bangladesh Navy chief Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan entered the Bangabhaban and placed a written statement before then President Abdus Sattar and mounted pressure on him to sign on it and hand over power to the army which eventually the president did.[1]

Rahman served as director general of Bangladesh Rifles (now Bangladesh Border Guard) from 1977 to 1982.[2]

Rahman being the senior most major general Ershad promoted M Atiqur Rahman to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed him as- Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army on 1 September 1986.[3]

He retired from the Bangladesh Army with full military honours in August 1990. He was succeeded by Nuruddin Khan as appointed by President Hussain Muhammad Ershad.

After retirement General Atiqur Rahman stayed away from public eye and did not pursue a political career. However, in 2014 he joined an iftar party organized by Khaleda Zia[4]