View source for Abu Taher Mohammad Haider

{{short description|Bangladesh Army officer, recipient of Bir Uttom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = 
| name          = A. T. M. Haider
| birth_date    = 12 January 1942
| death_date    = 7 November 1975
| birth_place   = [[Bhowanipore]], [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]]
| death_place   =
| placeofburial = [[Sholakia]], [[Kishoreganj]]
| native_name   = আবু তাহের মোহাম্মদ হায়দার
| native_name_lang = bn
| image         =
| caption       =
| width         =
| nickname      =
| allegiance    = {{PAK|23px}}<br>{{BAN|23px}}
| branch        = [[Pakistan Army]]<br>[[Bangladesh Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1964-1975
| rank          = [[Lieutenant Colonel]]
| commands      = *BDF Second in Command  of the Sector 2 (26 Mar - 7 Oct 1971)
* BDF Commander of the Sector 2 (7 Oct - 16 Dec 1971)
| unit          = [[23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)]]
13th [[East Bengal Regiment]]
8th Bengal
| battles       = [[Liberation war of Bangladesh]]
| awards        = {{flagicon image|Bir Uttom ribbon bar.svg|20px}} [[Bir Uttom]]<ref>[http://www.molwa.gov.bd/site/page/3f3b7628-3ac7-4927-bf6f-c9203fae601f/Bir-Uttam Bangladesh Gazette of 15 December, 1973; Ministry of Liberation War Affairs]</ref>
| laterwork     =
}}
[[File:Abu Taher Mohammad Haider's grave taken by Manik on 17-2-11.jpg|thumb|ATM Haider's tomb in [[Sholakia]].]]
[[File:Major Haider walking alongside the Pakistani and Indian Generals to the signing of Instrument of Surrender.jpg|thumb|Major Haider walking alongside the Pakistani and Indian Generals to the signing of Instrument of Surrender on Dec 16, 1971]]
''' Abu Taher Mohammad Haider''', [[Bir Uttom]] (12 January 1942 – 7 November 1975<ref>{{Cite book |title= Ekatorer Birjoddha, (2nd Part)|date=March 2013 |publisher= Prothoma Prokashon|isbn= 9789849025375|page= 52}}</ref>) was a [[Bangladesh Army]] officer and recipient of [[Bir Uttom]], the second highest military award in Bangladesh. He fought in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] as the second-in-command of the K force under [[Khaled Mosharraf]]. Later he became the sector commander of sector-2 from September 22, 1971. After the assassination of the President of Bangladesh, [[Sheikh Mujib]] in a military coup; he joined a counter coup led by his former commander Major General Khaled Mosharraf. He was killed in a situation marred with confusion along with Khaled Mosharraf on [[7 November 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état|7 November 1975]]  by proponents of a counter coup led by Colonel [[Abu Taher]].<ref name="uli">{{cite web|last1=Ahmed|first1=Lilyma|title=Haider, Lt Colonel ATM|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Haider,_Lt_Colonel_ATM|website=Banglapedia|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref>

==Early life==
ATM Haider was born in [[Bhowanipore]], [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], on 12 January 1942 . His father Mohammad Israil was a [[Sub Inspector]] in the [[Kolkata Police]] after which he worked as a lawyer; his mother was Hakimun Nesa. He studied in Binapani Primary School, [[Pabna]]. He graduated from [[Kishoregonj Government Boys' High School|Ramananda Government High School]] and [[Gov't Gurudayal College]], [[Kishoreganj District|Kishoreganj]]. He did his undergraduate in [[Islamia College (Lahore)|Lahore Islamia College]] and completed his graduate studies in 1963 from the [[Punjab University, Lahore|Punjab University]].<ref name="uli" />

==Career==
After finishing his B.Sc graduate studies in Physics, he joined the Pakistan Army as a commissioned officer. He graduated from [[Pakistan Military Academy]] and commissioned as an Artillery officer in the [[23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (Frontier Force)]] in 1964. He was posted at [[Pano Aqil]], [[Kotli]], and at [[Multan Cantonment]] where he stayed until 1969. On 9 September 1970, he was promoted to Captain. He was transferred to [[Comilla Cantonment]].<ref name="uli" />

Two days after the start of Operation Searchlight began, on 27 March 1971 he left Comilla Cantonment. In [[Brahmanbaria]] he met with officers from the fourth [[East Bengal Regiment]]. He went through [[Teliapara tea garden]] to India. He returned from India with few [[Mukti Bahini]] members. He sabotaged the Mymensingh–Kishoreganj highway and the Musalli Bridge. On 7 October 1971, he joined K force under Khaled Mosharraf as his second-in-command. His unit was mostly composed of students whom he trained in guerrilla warfare. Most of the guerrilla attacks in this sector were carried under his command.<ref name="uli" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Commemorating Teliapara with a 'Muktijuddha Smriti' Complex|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/commemorating-teliapara-with-a-muktijuddha-smriti-complex-53549|work=The Daily Star|date=5 December 2014|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref>

Major Haider arrived in Bangladesh from India in a helicopter with freedom fighter and political adviser of Sector 2 and 3, [[R. K. Chowdhury]], on December 14 in Comilla. Victory was celebrated on the 15 December in Jatrabari. The crowd, carrying Major Haider and Chowdhury on their heads, rejoiced at the crossroads of Jatrabari.<ref name="uli" />

He was present during the surrender of Pakistan Army on 16 December 1971. After the Independence of Bangladesh, he was promoted to Major and made the commanding officer of 13 East Bengal Regiment, Savar Cantonment. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1973 and was transferred to [[Chittagong Cantonment]] to head the then-nascent 2nd Battalion of Artillery and the School of Artillery. On 21 October 1975 he was transferred to [[Bandarban Cantonment|Ruma Cantonment]] as a Quartermaster.<ref name="uli" />

==Death==
After the [[Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] there was confusion in the army. He was in Dhaka with his batman, [[Naik (military rank)|Naik]] Shamsul Haq, Bir Protik due to personal reasons on 3 November when Major General [[Khaled Mosharraf]] launched a coup to remove the assassins of Sheikh Mujib from power. He was assassinated with his former commander Mosharraf on 7 November 1975 in Dhaka Cantonment in the subsequent coup by Colonel Abu Taher. According to Captain (Rtd) [[Sitara Rahman]] (Bir Protik, also sister of Major Haider), General Osmani earlier advised Haider to approach Major General Zia together with Khaled Mosharraf, for hope of negotiation, reminding him that all of them had fought together hand in hand in the 1971 war.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkbRQ6qQuzc|title=Reminiscing Bangladesh Liberation War|date=15 January 2021|access-date=24 February 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Ziaur Rahman who had been confined in cantonment from November 3 to November 6, was freed by supporters of Colonel Taher at very early hours of November 7.  However, in a fast moving spiral of events,  Haider along with Mosharraf and Colonel Huda, along with their batmen, were killed by few army officers, early hours on November 7.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrNGoKXTSac|title=Jonotontro Gonotontro with Samia Rahman ( জনতন্ত্র গণতন্ত্র )|date=7 November 2016|access-date=24 February 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Later Haider was buried in his hometown in Kishoreganj.<ref name="uli" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news/november-7-let-the-truth-be-known|title=November 7: Let the truth be known|date=7 November 2013|newspaper=The Daily Star|access-date=10 November 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haider, ATM}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:Bangladesh Army officers]]
[[Category:Mukti Bahini personnel]]
[[Category:University of the Punjab alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bir Uttom]]