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{{short description|Chief of Army Staff}}
{{other people||Mohammed Nasim (disambiguation)}}
{{undue weight|date=January 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Lieutenant General
| name = Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim
| image =
| caption =
| native_name = আবু সালেহ মোহাম্মদ নাসিম
| native_name_lang = bn
| commands = [[File:Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh) Emblem.svg|27px]] [[Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army|Chief of Army Staff]]
| alma_mater = [[Faujdarhat Cadet College]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|01|04|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Munshiganj]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]]
| website = {{URL|www.ltgenasmnasim.info|tgenasmnasim.info}}
| serviceyears = 1967-1996
}}
'''Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim''' <small>[[Bir Bikrom]]</small> (born 4 January 1946)<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.ltgenasmnasim.info/curriculum-vitae-in-english/|title=Curriculum Vitae in English|accessdate=27 January 2019|work=ltgenasmnasim.info}}</ref> is a former [[Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nasim testifies in Manzur murder case |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2010/10/28/nasim-testifies-in-manzur-murder-case |newspaper=bdnews24.com |accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref> In 1996, he attempted a military coup of the [[caretaker government]] which was preparing for general elections. After failure of the coup in 1996, he was arrested, placed under house arrest, and subsequently dismissed from service. That year, the Awami League was elected to power in the government. It reverted Nasim's dismissal from the military and later provided him with an honorable discharge.

==Early life==
Nasim graduated from [[Faujdarhat Cadet College]] and enrolled as an [[Airman]] in the [[Pakistan Air Force]] in 1967. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the [[East Bengal Regiment]] in 1970 through the Army Cadet College program in PMA Kakul.<ref>{{cite web|title=Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim Video|url=http://www.ovguide.com/abu-saleh-mohammad-nasim-9202a8c04000641f80000000007c8140|website=ovguide.com|accessdate=21 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621060504/http://www.ovguide.com/abu-saleh-mohammad-nasim-9202a8c04000641f80000000007c8140|archive-date=21 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> He had participated in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] and was awarded Bir Bikrom for valor by the government in 1971. He was injured in one leg during this war.

==Career==
Nasim was appointed the [[Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army|Chief of Army Staff]] by the [[Bangladesh Nationalist Party]] government led by the then Prime Minister [[Begum Khaleda Zia]] in 1993.

===Coup in 1996===
{{Main|1996 Bangladesh coup d'état attempt}}
Nasim staged an abortive military [[coup]] in 1996. On 19 May 1996, [[Abdur Rahman Biswas]], the [[President of Bangladesh]] during a caretaker government, ordered Lt. Gen. Nasim to force the retirement of Major-General Morshed Khan, commander of Bogra Cantonment, and Brigadier Miron Hamidur Rahman, deputy chief of paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Unknown|title=Dhaka Faces Revolt|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/dhaka-faces-revolt/324127.html|website=The Moscow Times|accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref> Both officers had issued statements expressing dissatisfaction with the country's situation.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ali|first1=M.M.|title=Shaikh Hasina Takes Over From Khalida Zia in Successful Bangladesh Election|url=http://www.wrmea.org/1996-august-september/shaikh-hasina-takes-over-from-khalida-zia-in-successful-bangladesh-election.html|website=wrmea.org|publisher=American Educational Trust|accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref> The President believed that they were involved in political activities with opposition parties. Nasim refused to comply. The next day, Biswas sacked him and sent soldiers to control the state radio and television stations. On noon that day, Nasim ordered soldiers of [[Bogra]], [[Jessore (city)|Jessore]] and [[Mymensingh]] divisions to march towards [[Dhaka]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dahlburg|first1=John-Thor|title=Bangladeshi President Fires Army Chief|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1996-05-21/news/mn-6642_1_presidents-army-fires|website=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref> The Ninth Infantry Division's Major General [[Imamuzzaman Chowdhury]], who commanded the division located closest to Dhaka, remained loyal to the President. He directed the removal of all boats and ferries from [[Jamuna River (Bangladesh)|Jamuna River]] in [[Aricha]] port, so that Bogra and Jessore divisions could not cross the river.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Report|title=BANGLADESH TENSE AFTER ARMY CHIEF'S FIRING|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1996/05/21/bangladesh-tense-after-army-chiefs-firing/0337549e-d9e6-423e-be0d-98d47bfb5ba3/|website=Washington Post|accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref>

Nasim sent a contingent of troops with tanks to blockade the Dhaka-Mymenshing highway. This prevented Mymensingh Division Army from entering Dhaka. In the meantime, [[Major General]] Mohammad Anwar Hossain, General Officer Commanding of the 33rd Infantry Division located in [[Comilla]], also came to the aid of the president. He mobilized a fully geared 101 Infantry Brigade, under the command of Brig. Shah Ikram (later Maj. Gen.) to Dhaka to fortify [[Bangabhaban]], the presidential palace.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Article|title=Bangladesh's Army Chief Fired|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-05-20/news/9605210161_1_commanders-dismiss-presidential-palace|website=articles.chicagotribune.com|publisher=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref> The 33rd Division was deployed, using an Infantry Battalion and a company of tanks from the 7th Horse Armoured Battalion at the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, to create a blockade against the 24th Infantry Division located in Chittagong. The government broadcast announcements asking all soldiers to stay at their own cantonment. After some hours, Mymensingh Division soldiers returned to their barracks. The Chittagong Division never mobilized towards Dhaka. The General Officer Commanding of the Chittagong Division realized that the military coup was highly unlikely to succeed. That night, Nasim was interviewed by the [[BBC]] and, in reference to troop movements, he said that as Army Chief, he could move troops anytime he wanted. Nasim was arrested by the Brigade Commander of 14 Independent Engineers Brigade and put under house arrest in the Army Mess behind Army Central Library, Staff road, Dhaka Cantonment. Later the [[Awami League]] government, which was elected to power in 1996, granted him a formal retirement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bangladesh ex-army chief arrested|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/05/21/Bangladesh-ex-army-chief-arrested/3381832651200/|website=upi.com|publisher=United Press International, Inc|accessdate=21 June 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}{{Bir Bikrom}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nasim, Abu Saleh Mohammad}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Brahmanbaria district]]
[[Category:Bangladesh Army generals]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bir Bikrom]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Army Staff, Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Mukti Bahini personnel]]

Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim - Revision history

Bot at 21:39, 4 November 2022