2nd Chief for Bangladesh Army, a top diplomat for the Foreign Service, ex-MP for the people of Narayanganj but most importantly the S-Force Commander of the 1971 Liberation War : Major General Kazi Mohammed Shafiullah, Bir Uttom (popularly known as KM Shafiullah) has breathed his last on 26/1/2025.
Shafiullah was born in 1934 at Rupganj, Narayanganj. He joined the Pakistan Army with 12th PMA long course in 1955 and his parent unit was the 16th Punjab Regiment.
KM Shafiullah, the 2IC (second-in-command) of 2nd East Bengal Regiment in 1971 was the first Bengali officer to rebel from Pakistan Army to support the concept of a free Bangladesh. It is to be noted that during his rebellion, he was a serving Major of the Pakistan Army.
He rebelled by killing four Pakistani officers and a few Pakistani soldiers serving in his 2nd East Bengal Regiment on 19 March, 1971. Soon after staging his rebellion, KM Shafiullah was appointed as the sector commander of the 3rd sector (Sector-3) of the liberation war.
From various freedom fighter sources, Liberty News has confirmed that KM Shafiullah directly took part in & directed military operations (combat) in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Comilla and Dhaka. On at least two of those battles, he almost died while fighting the enemy.
In September 1971, Shafiullah was appointed as one of the three brigade commanders of Bangladesh, leading to his brigade called the “S-Force” (due to S being his initial). The other brigades, namely Z-Force was lead by General Ziaur Rahman and K-Force was lead by General Khaled Musharraf.
The actions of Major General KM Shafiullah during 1971 directly contributed to the formation of Bangladesh. After successfully winning the war, he was made commander of the 46 Brigade, a very important and strategic independent brigade stationed in Dhaka Cantonment. Subsequently in April 1972 – he became the 2nd Chief of Army Staff (CAS) of Bangladesh Army, replacing the legendary MAG Osmani.
During the assassination of Sheikh Mujib in 1975, Major General KM Shafiullah was the Army Chief. According to well placed sources, the army chief was kept in the dark about the plot. He was put on retirement from service on 25 August 1975 by the new Mushtaq government and replaced by General Ziaur Rahman.
A very highly reputed and respected man, after his retirement he started his “2nd career” in the Bangladesh Foreign Service (BCS – Foreign Service Cadre). He was appointed as the first Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Malaysia & went on to serve his country again, diplomatically as :
- Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Canada & South America
- Bangladeshi Ambassador to the Scandinavian Region
- Bangladeshi High Commissioner to UK
As a successful diplomat (after being the CAS), he spent more than 20 years in the Foreign Service promoting the newly formed Bangladesh across the world.
Following his life in the Army and Foreign Service, Shafiullah returned to Bangladesh. He joined Awami League and became elected as an MP from Rupganj. According to local sources, he played a significant role in infrastructure development and job creation in his area. After serving two terms as an MP, he retired from the government, finally.
As Shafiullah passed away on 26th January, people from all walks of life including the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh Dr. Younus expressed that he is mourning.
Bangladesh has lost a Sector Commander of the Liberation War, a former Chief of Army Staff, a former diplomat, a former MP but most importantly – A true patriot whose actions directly led to the formation of our (and his) Bangladesh.
This is an Editorial authored by Sartaj Bin Rafiq.
