Kazi Nuruzzaman

Kazi Nuruzzaman Bir Uttom (24 March 1925 – 6 May 2011)[1] was a Bangladeshi war hero and secular nationalist, who served as one of the principal commanders of the Mukti Bahini during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He also rejected Bir Uttam award as a tribute to all the unknown, unrecognized martyrs of the war.[2]

Kazi Nuruzzaman

Bir Uttom
Born(1925-03-24)24 March 1925
Chuchura, Hooghly, British India (Now, West Bengal, India)
Died6 May 2011(2011-05-06) (aged 86)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Buried
National Freedom Fighters’ Graveyard
Allegiance
Service/branch
Years of service1946-1972
Rank Lieutenant colonel
UnitRegiment of Artillery
Commands held
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War
Awards Bir Uttom

Early life

Nuruzzaman was born on 24 March 1925.[3] He received his education from the exclusive St. Xavier's College, Calcutta majoring in chemistry.[4]

Career

He joined the British Indian Navy in 1943 but due to Jawaharlal Nehru's persuasion, he transferred to the army in 1946 and completed his training from Royal School of Artillery in UK. After partition of India in 1947 he joined Pakistan army & was promoted to Major in 1954. Before retiring from the armed forces he served at East Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation.

Since he was a Bengali in the Pakistan Army, he was subject to racial discrimination. He did not sacrifice his dignity, and one such example was his comment against Ayub Khan.

Only people from good families can recognise other people from good ones

— said Quazi Nuruzzaman when Ayub Khan said that he did not see people from good families in East Pakistan.

In October 1958 after General Ayub Khan declared Martial Law in Pakistan, he & Major Salauddin Amin were the only two officers who refused to sign a document of allegiance pledging loyalty to then President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan.[5]

Bangladesh Liberation War

In 1971, he joined the Liberation War. He was senior to all the sector commanders & was given staff position by C-in-C Osmani.[6]

During the war, Bangladesh was divided into eleven sectors and each of those sectors had a Sector Commander who would direct the guerrilla warfare. He succeeded Major Najmul Haque as Commander of Sector 7 who died in a road crash on 27 September 1971, in India.[7] He played a key role in Bangladesh's achieving independence from Pakistan during the 1971 war.

Post war he was tasked with gathering injured freedom fighters from Kolkata.[6][5]

Award

He was awarded the Bir Uttom award, which is the second-highest award for individual gallantry in Bangladesh.[8] As thousands of Mukti Bahini volunteers, mostly farmers, were killed and did not receive any recognition, he chose not to accept any gallantry award. He rejected the Bir Uttom award.[8][2][9]

Death

Nuruzzaman died of old age at Square Hospital on 6 May 2011. He was buried at National Freedom Fighters' Graveyard at Dhaka Cantonment.[7]

References
  1. UNBconnect... - PM shocked at death of Kazi Nuruzzaman Archived 23 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Tributes to Nuruzzaman". bdnews24.com.
  3. "Nuruzzaman, Lt Colonel Kazi". Banglapedia. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  4. Urmee, Farhana (5 November 2010). "A Citizen Soldier". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star.
  5. "Lieutenant Colonel Quazi Nuruzzaman: A remembrance". The Daily Star. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  6. "The love-blind freedom fighters". The Daily Star. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  7. "Sector commander Nuruzzaman dies". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  8. "Lieutenant Colonel Quazi Nuruzzaman: A remembrance". The Daily Star. 6 May 2012.
  9. "Muktibahini wins victory - Maj Gen ATM Abdul Wahab 365p".
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