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{{EngvarB|date=March 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Major General]]
| name = K. M. Shafiullah
| honorific_suffix = [[Bir Uttom]]
| office = Member of the [[Jatiyo Sangshad]] from [[Narayanganj]]-1
| image =
| predecessor = Abdul Matin Chowdhury
| successor = Abdul Matin Chowdhury
| office1 = [[Bangladesh]] [[High Commissioner]] to United Kingdom
| predecessor1 = [[Mir Shawkat Ali]]
| president1 = [[Shahabuddin Ahmed]]<br />[[Hussain Muhammad Ershad]]
| successor1 = M. M. Rezaul Karim
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1934|9|2}}
| allegiance = {{flag|Bangladesh}}<br />{{flag|Pakistan}} (before 1971)
| branch = {{plainlist|*{{army|Bangladesh}}
* {{army|Pakistan}}}}
| serviceyears =
| rank = [[File:Bangladesh-army-OF-7.svg|25px]]
[[Major General]]
| unit = [[East Bengal Regiment]]
| commands = {{plainlist|
| 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>
*[[File:Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh) Emblem.svg|27px]] [[Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army|Chief of Army Staff]]
* Brigade Commander of [[S Force (Bangladesh)|S Force]]
* Sector Commander of the [[List of sectors in the Bangladesh Liberation War|Sector 3]]}}
| battles = [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]
| 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>
| term_start = 1996
| term_end = 2001
| term_start1 = 31 July 1987
| term_end1 = 3 June 1991
}}

'''Kazi Mohammed Shafiullah''' [[Bir Uttam]] (born 2 September 1934){{citation needed|date=December 2022}}, also known as '''K. M. Shafiullah''', is a retired Bangladeshi general, former [[Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Manik |first1=Julfikar Ali |last2=Ahmed |first2=Inam |date=31 January 2010 |title=In eyes of Gen Shafiullah |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=124155 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> and former Member of Parliament.

As the Second in Command of Second [[East Bengal Regiment]], along with his battalion, he was the first Bengali officer to stage a rebellion on 19 March 1971 while 57 Bde Commander-Brig. Jahanzeb Arbab came to visit Joydevpur. He killed four non-Bengali officers of his own unit along with several non-Bengali soldiers hailing from then West Pakistan.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} During the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] of 1971, he was the Second in Command of Second [[East Bengal Regiment]] that revolted with six officers on the night of 4 April 1971. He became the Sector Commander of Sector 3, headquartered in Teliapara, Sylhet. He directly participated in active combat and escaped certain death at least in two such combats. Towards the end of September he was appointed one of three brigade commanders, leading what was called the "[[S Force (Bangladesh)|S-force]]" (after his surname) during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.<ref>{{cite news |date=22 July 2013 |title=KM Shafiullah hospitalised |url=http://www.risingbd.com/english/KM_Shafiullah_hospitalised/4527 |work=risingbd.com |access-date=21 June 2022}}</ref>

Shafiullah became Chief of Army Staff in April 1972. After the [[15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état]], President [[Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad]] replaced him with Major General [[Ziaur Rahman]].

==Military career==
He was commissioned from 12 PMA Long Course in 1955.
<ref>{{cite book |date=1989 |editor1-last=Heitzman |editor1-first=James |editor2-last=Worden |editor2-first=Robert |title=Bangladesh: A Country Study |url=https://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/ba/bangladeshcountr00heit/bangladeshcountr00heit.pdf |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |page=262}}</ref>

==Bangladesh Liberation War==
{{see also|Bangladesh Liberation War}}
Prior to operation searchlight Major K.M Shafiullah was in 2East Bengal Regiment(EBR), Where he and other men of his company revolted and killed 4 West Pakistani officers and a few west Pakistani soldiers<ref>{{Cite book |title=EASTERN THEATRE 1971 war COMMAND & STAFF COLLEGE MILITARY HISTORY PRIMER: 2011 |year=2011 |pages=34}}</ref> After open hostilities Shafiullah at that time was Sector Commander of [[Bangladesh Forces]] Sector 3. His sector was headquartered in Teliapara, Sylhet from where he commanded his troops and took part in active combats during the entire duration of the war. His sector's areas were [[Dhaka District|Dhaka]], [[Mymensingh]], [[Sylhet District|Sylhet]] and parts of [[Comilla District|Comilla]] (present [[Brahmanbaria District|Brahmanbaria]] district).<ref>{{cite web |title=Major General K. M. Shafiullah Speaks to VOA |url=http://www.voabangla.com/content/a-16-2007-12-03-voa6-94412674/1393549.html |website=Voice of America, Bangla Service |type=Interview |access-date=21 June 2022}}</ref>

Later three brigades were formed, each identified by the initial of the commander's surname. His formation was fully structured and formalised by the end of September. As of September 1971, Commander of Sector 3 was assigned to Major [[A. N. M. Nuruzzaman]]. Major Shafiullah was among those attending the Pakistan surrender on 16 December 1971 at Race Course in [[Dhaka]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Report |title=Thousands sing 'My Bengal of Gold' |url=http://www.amadershomoys.com/content/2013/12/17/print0921.htm |website=Amader Shomoys |access-date=21 June 2022}}</ref>

==Chief of Army Staff==
After the end of the war in December 1971, the Bangladesh government awarded him the [[Bir Uttam]] (medal) for his bravery and dedication, the second-highest military award in the country. He was appointed as the [[Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh)|Chief of Army Staff]] of [[Bangladesh Army]] on 5 April 1972 by the [[Awami League]] government under [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=Nagendra Kr. |title=Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh (Set of 30 Vols.) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qvmbJNPnX2YC&pg=PA2 |year=2003 |publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. |page=2 |isbn=978-81-261-1390-3 |access-date=11 November 2022}}</ref>

On 7 April 1972, General M. A. G. Osmani resigned from his post, and the Army command was given to Shafiullah, the Bangladesh Air Force to [[A. K. Khandker]] and the Bangladesh Navy to [[Nurul Huq (Captain)|Nurul Haq]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Chowdhury |first=Anisuzzaman |title=Moulana Bhashani: leader of the toiling masses |date=2012 |publisher=Xlibris Corp |location=[S.l.] |page=273 |isbn=1-4691-3789-5}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=January 2022}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Charu lata |date=2010 |title=Media Military and Politics: A Study on Bangladesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PBJOEjRDt_cC&pg=PT201 |publisher=Pinnacle Technology |pages=201– |isbn=978-1-61820-527-8|access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref>

He was the chief of staff of the Bangladesh Army during the [[Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|assassination]] of then president [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]].<ref name="The Daily Star">{{cite news |date=24 August 2014 |title=It's my failure I couldn't save Bangabandhu |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/its-my-failure-i-couldnt-save-bangabandhu-38409 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=13 June 2022}}</ref> During the assassination, he was kept in the dark about the plot, intelligence failed and he could not save the President.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trial of 195 war criminals should be held |url=http://www.weeklyholiday.net/homepage/pages/UserHome.aspx?ID=4&date=12/18/2015 |access-date=3 December 2016 |issue=1 |type=Opinion |newspaper=Holiday |date=18 December 2022}}</ref> Dismissed from the position on 25 August 1975 by the following Mushtaq government, he retired from the army. He was succeeded by [[Ziaur Rahman]] as army Chief.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ahsan |first1=Syed Badrul |title=Remembering Khaled Musharraf. . . |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/remembering-khaled-musharraf |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> Suspecting his intentions based on his loyalty towards Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, General Shafiullah was sent overseas with an ambassadorial post, along with fellow [[Bangladesh Air Force]] Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal A. K. Khandker. He was elected as an Awami League Member of Parliament in 1996.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ahsan |first1=Syed Badrul |title=Of memory . . . against forgetting |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=153043 |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.gov.bd/index.php/en/mps/members-of-parliament/former-mp-s/list-of-7th-parliament-members-bangla|title=7th parliament members}}</ref>

==After retirement from army and into diplomatic circles==
K. M. Shafiullah was appointed the first Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Malaysia. Malaysiahat had recognised the Independence of Bangladesh very soon after the liberation war. He thereafter went onto serve as the High Commissioner to Canada and South America. He was transferred to Sweden as the Ambassador to the Scandinavian region and finally to London as the High Commissioner. K. M. Shafiullah demonstrated a natural charisma and diplomacy in dealing with international and diplomatic affairs and in transitioning good relations between Bangladesh and the countries in which he served. During the time of serving his posting in London he was the most senior ambassador in the Commonwealth, having spent 20 years promoting the values and mission of the newly formed Bangladesh nation.

==Life in politics==
In 1990 he returned to Bangladesh in retirement from diplomatic service and was reintroduced into the social fabric of national service, by being elected as an MP through the Awami League political party, the party of Sheikh Mujib. He served as an MP for the constituency of Rupganj, the area from which he originated. During his tenure as MP he was responsible for creating many roads and facilitating the formation of development and job creation in the constituency. Following two terms as an MP he retired from government.

==Returning to a life as a civilian and freedom fighter==
Being the most senior army officer in Bangladesh, he was invited to chair the sector commanders forum in 2014. Through this association he has led marches and protests well into his late 70s to bring to account war criminals responsible for the atrocities of 1971. He has also led movements against corruption and poverty as an idealist of the revolution.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shafiullah new chairman of Sector Commanders Forum |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/09/19/shafiullah-new-chairman-of-sector-commanders-forum |newspaper=bdnews24.com |access-date=13 June 2022}}</ref>

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

{{Liberation of Bangladesh}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shafiullah, K. M.}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Bangladesh Army generals]]
[[Category:Chiefs of Army Staff, Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mukti Bahini personnel]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bir Uttom]]
[[Category:Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members]]

K. M. Shafiullah - Revision history

Bot at 05:15, 17 October 2022