Nawazesh Uddin

Nawazesh Uddin (24 July 1945 - 23 September 1981) was a Bangladeshi army officer who was executed for his alleged involvement in the assassination of Ziaur Rahman.[1]

Nawazesh Uddin
Born24 July 1945
Comilla, Bengal Province, British India (Now, Chittagong, Bangladesh)
Died23 September 1981
Comilla Central Jail, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Allegiance Bangladesh
 Pakistan (Before 1971)
Service/branch Bangladesh Army
 Pakistan Army
Years of service1966-1981
Rank Colonel
UnitBaloch Regiment (Before 1971)
East Bengal Regiment
Commands held
Known forAssassination of Ziaur Rahman
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War
7 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état

Career

Bangladesh Liberation War

In 1959, Nawazesh joined the Pakistan Army as a student apprentice and was commissioned in the 22nd Baluch Regiment in Sialkot, Punjab in 1966.[1] He was a captain and was stationed in Rangpur when the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War began. On 24 April 1971, the prime minister of the government in exile, Tajuddin Ahmed, stated that Nawazesh and his troops revolted against Pakistan.[1]

During the liberation war, Nawazesh was a sub-sector commander in sector 6, in Sahebganj.

7 November 1975 Coup

On 3 November 1975, General Khaled Mosharraf, Lt. Colonel A.T.M. Haider and Colonel Nazmul Huda ousted the Mostaq Ahmed regime and placed Ziaur Rahman under house arrest. Before Zia was arrested, he called his mentor Lt. Colonel (retired) Abu Taher and urged him to do something.[2] In response, Taher and his clandestine group within the army, the Biplobi Shainik Sangstha launched the 7 November coup to free Zia from imprisonment.

At the time, Nawazesh was the commanding officer of the 10 Bengal Regiment. He received a phone call from Zia, who instructed Nawazesh to ensure the safety of Khaled Mosharraf and his companions.[3] Nawazesh climbed on top of a jeep and ordered his troops not to harm Khaled Mosharraf. However, his troops were defiant and threatened to kill him if he tried to stop them.[3]

Fearing for his life, Nawazesh did nothing to stop Captain Jalil and Captain Asad, who ordered their troops to kill Khaled Mosharraf, A.T.M. Haider and Nazmul Huda.[3] After these officers were killed, Nawazesh informed Zia of the incident, stating "I am sorry sir, situation got out of hand".[4]

Zia asked Nawazesh to preserve the bodies of Khaled Mosharraf, A.T.M. Haider and Nazmul Huda.[3][4]

Death

Following the assassination of Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981, a number of army officers were arrested for their alleged involvement, including Nawazesh. While he was detained, Nawazesh was tortured.[5] He was court martialled and executed on 23 September 1981 in Comilla Prison. In his last letter to his wife, he wrote:[5]

Dear Momy (Momtaz Nawazesh) Take hundreds of millions of affection, love and caresses from me. Ask everybody to pray for me so that Allah sends me to Heaven.

I am requesting you all to bury my body on the eastern side of my father's shrine.

My last entreaty to Allah is to keep you all happy. Give my unlimited affection and blessings to Rony, Rosy, Happy and Babu.  I will always pray for you. Blessings and greeting to you all.

Yours, Nawazesh

He was buried in his birthplace, Muradpur, Comilla.

References
  1. "Clandestine killings in the Bangladesh Army - 2172.php-22-01". www.observerbd.com. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  2. Lifschultz, Lawrence (1979). Bangladesh : the unfinished revolution. Zed Press. ISBN 0-905762-07-X. OCLC 883842630.
  3. Rahman, Ansiur (7 November 2019). "Khaled Mosharraf Killing: An Eyewitness Account". Daily Sun. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  4. "Ziaur Rahman, General;, (1935–30 May 1981), President of Bangladesh, since 1977", Who Was Who, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u170729, retrieved 2022-12-23
  5. "Clandestine killings in the Bangladesh Army - 2742.php-27-01". www.observerbd.com. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
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