Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan

General (Retd.)
Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan
SBP(BAR), psc
Bhuiyan in 2013
14th Chief of Army Staff
In office
25 June 2012 – 25 June 2015
PresidentZillur Rahman
Abdul Hamid
Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina
Preceded byAbdul Mubeen
Succeeded byBelal Shafiul Haque
Personal details
Born (1957-06-02) 2 June 1957 (age 67)
Comilla, East Pakistan, Pakistan
SpouseTahmina Yasmin[1]
Awards Senabahini Padak(SBP)
Kuwait Liberation Medal
Independence Day Award
Military service
Allegiance Bangladesh
Branch/service Bangladesh Army
Years of service1976 - 2015
Rank General
UnitEast Bengal Regiment
Commands
Battles/wars

Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan SBP (BAR), psc (Bengali: ইকবাল করিম ভূঁইয়া; born 2 June 1957) is a retired Bangladeshi army officer who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army from 2012 to 2015.[2][3] He took office of Army Chief at 25 June 2012 and retired on 25 June 2015. He joined Bangladesh Military Academy on 19 March 1976 and was commissioned on 30 November 1976 in the Infantry Regiment (East Bengal Regiment). Iqbal had a diversified and fine mix of all three types of appointment available in army. During his 39 years of service in the Bangladesh Army, He commanded three infantry battalions, an infantry brigade and three divisions. He also served as chief of general staff, colonel staff of a division, and platoon commander of the Bangladesh Military Academy. He participated in Operation Desert Storm and received 'Liberation of Kuwait Medal'.[4]

Early life and education

Bhuiyan was born in Comilla on 2 June 1957 and studied in Comilla Zilla School and Faujdarhat Cadet College. Bhuiyan has participated in courses abroad which include Company Commander's Course in Malaysia, Course on Peace-Keeping for Decision Makers in the Defence Institute of International Legal Studies in Rhode Island, US. He is a graduate of Defence Services Command and Staff College and United States Army Command and General Staff College.[1]

Career

Bhuiyan entered the Bangladesh Military Academy on 19 March 1976 at 3rd BMA SSC (Short Service Commission) course and was commissioned on 30 November 1976 in East Bengal Regiment with Md Abdul Mubeen who rose to the rank of full general in 2009.[5]

General Bhuiyan with Indian Chief of Army Staff Bikram Singh on 3 October 2012

Bhuiyan held important positions in the Bangladesh Army including Platoon Commander in Bangladesh Military Academy, Colonel Staff of 11 Division, Bogra, Commander of 105 Infantry Brigade and also served as the directing staff of the Defence Services Command and Staff College. Bhuiyan actively took part in Operation Desert Storm and received the Kuwait Liberation Medal from the government of Kuwait.[6]

He served as Commandant of Staff College, Commandant of the School of Infantry and Tactics (S I & T), Sylhet, Commander of BANSEC-2, and United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia (UNAMSIL).[7]

He was GOC of the 19 Division, Ghatail, the 24 Division, Chittagong and CGS (Chief of General Staff) of Bangladesh Army. He was the CGS of Bangladesh Army in 2007.[8] In 2009, he was the Commandant of the Defence Services Command and Staff College when he was appointed General Officer Commanding of the 9th Infantry Division, Savar Cantonment.[9] He was the Quartermaster General (QMG) of Bangladesh Army in 2010 after being promoted to lieutenant general in May 2010.[10] He was the chairman of Bangladesh Diesel Plant Limited.[11] Bhuiyan was appointed of Chief of Army Staff in June 2012 replacing General Md Abdul Mubeen, who was his course-mate.[12] Bhuiyan was promoted to full general on the day he took office of Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army on 25 June 2012.[13] He invited Indian army chief General Bikram Singh in 2012's October to visit Bangladesh.[14] In November 2012, he held a reception for veterans of Bangladesh Liberation War.[15] In 2013, he raised the flags of 32nd Bangladesh Infantry Regiment (32 BIR) and 33rd Bangladesh Infantry Regiment (33 BIR), two new infantry units, based in Jalalabad Cantonment.[16]

Bhuiyan hosted General Vincent Brooks of the United States Army Pacific command in 2014 during the Pacific Armies Management Seminar.[17]

Bhuiyan inaugurated Bangladesh Golf Academy in 2015 at the Army Golf Club.[18] On 25 June 2015, General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq replaced Bhuiyan as the Chief of Army Staff.[19]

Post-military

Support for Students

Bhuiyan was among several retired military personnel, who expressed support for the student movement leading the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement and the Non-cooperation movement and called on the Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to "withdraw the armed forces from the street immediately".[20][21][22] He also uploaded the color red on his Facebook profile in support of the movement.[23]

Honours
Nirapotta Padak Medal Dabanal Padak Medal Uttoron Padak Medal Independence Day Award Medal
Flood Relief of 1988 Medal Great Flood Relief of 1998 Medal 1991 National Election Medal 1996 National Election Medal
Silver Jubilee Medal (25 years of liberation) Golden Jubilee Medal (50th anniversary of East Bengal Regiment) 30 years service 20 years service
10 years service Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) UNIKOM Medal

Family

Bhuiyan is married to Tahmina Yasmin and the couple has two daughters and one son.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b "Chief of Army Staff". Bangladesh Army. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012.
  2. ^ "Iqbal Karim new army chief". The Daily Star. 8 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Armed forces must keep vigil". The Daily Star. UNB. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Bhuiyan takes over as army chief of Bangladesh". 25 June 2012.
  5. ^ Khasru, Syed Munir (29 June 2012). "The new army chief, politicians, and elections". The Daily Star.
  6. ^ "Modernisation of armed forces to continue". The Daily Star. 22 November 2012.
  7. ^ "Human security precedes narrow national interests". 15 September 2014.
  8. ^ "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 5 Num 1051". The Daily Star. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Key changes in top command of army". The Daily Star. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  10. ^ "2 army officers promoted to lieutenant general". The Daily Star. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Deals on 100MW rental power". The Daily Star. 16 July 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Iqbal Karim new army chief". The Daily Star. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Bangladesh appoints Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan as new Army Chief". First Post. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  14. ^ "Indian army chief to visit Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Army chief accords reception to decorated freedom fighters". The Daily Star. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  16. ^ "PM raises new infantry division flag". The Daily Star. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Generals discuss strategy while cruising Padma". The Daily Star. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Golf academy opens amid hush-hush". The Daily Star. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Gen Belal takes over as army chief". The Daily Star. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Bangladesh PM leaves country for 'safer place' after resigning". BBC News. 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Ex-senior army officers call for withdrawing armed forces from streets". The Business Standard. 4 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Take back armed forces from streets". The Daily Star. 5 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina forced to resign: What happened and what's next?". Al Jazeera. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Bangla Army chief keen on better security | Kolkata News". The Times of India. TNN. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
Preceded by Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army
25 June 2012 - 25 June 2015 		Succeeded by