Zia Ahmed (officer)

Ahmed was born on 26 July 1954 in Sujanagar Upazila, Pabna District, East Pakistan, Pakistan.[3] His father was Sarder Jayenuddin, a notable poet.[3] He graduated from Tejgaon Polytechnic High School and Notre Dame College, Dhaka.[3]

Ahmed was commissioned in the Signals Corps of Bangladesh Army in 1975.[4]

Ahmed had served in the United Nations Operation in Mozambique.[4]

Ahmed was sent into forced retirement from Bangladesh Army during the 2001 to 2006 Bangladesh Nationalist Party government with the rank of brigadier general.[3] After Awami League came to power in 2009, Ahmed was promoted to major general and appointment chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission in February 2009.[3] He replaced Major General Manzurul Alam.[5] He was appointed on a three year contract.[6] He signed the agreement for the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission's Bangabandhu Satellite.[7] He had demanded 30 billion taka in taxes from Grameenphone, the largest telecom company in Bangladesh.[8] After Alam, Ahmed was the second Army officer to head the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.[9]

In November 2010, Ahmed spoke at an event organized by Lieutenant General Harun-Ar-Rashid which criticised the political statements issued by former Army officers in favor of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.[10] He also briefly blocked Facebook that year in Bangladesh.[11]

Ahmed made the pulse rate for cellphone operators at 10 seconds.[9] He struggled with the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology over organizational jurisdiction harming ties between the two entities.[9]

Ahmed died on 11 September 2012 in United Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.[3] He was buried in Banani Army Graveyard.[4]