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Air Vice Marshal
Ghulam Tawab
SJ SBt
Air Vice Marshal Ghulam Tawab SJ SBt
2nd Chief of Air Staff
	In office; 15 October 1975 – 30 April 1976
Preceded by	A. K. Khandker
Succeeded by	Khademul Bashar
Personal details
Born	Muhammad Ghulam Tawab; 1 July 1930; Sylhet, Assam, British India
Died	23 February 1999 (aged 68); Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Awards	Sitara-e-Jurat; Sitara-e-Basalat
Military service
Allegiance	Pakistan (1947–1971); Bangladesh (1971–1999)
Branch/service	Pakistan Air Force; Bangladesh Air Force
Years of service	1951-1976
Rank	Air Vice-Marshal;
Unit	No. 9 Squadron
Commands	ACAS (Administration) of Air Headquarters; AOC of BAF Tejgaon;
Battles/wars	Indo-Pakistani War of 1965; Six-Days War; Bangladesh Liberation War

Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Ghulam Tawab SJ SBt (1 July 1930 – 23 February 1999) was the second chief of the air staff of Bangladesh Air Force who also served as deputy chief martial law administrator of Bangladesh with General Ziaur Rahman and Admiral M. H. Khan from 1975 to 1976.

Early life

Tawab was born in a village near Sylhet, of Bengal Province, British Indian Empire, on 1 July 1930. He was married to Henrietta, a German national, and has two sons and a daughter.^[1]

Career

After graduating college, Tawab joined the Pakistan Air Force in 1951 and was commissioned with the 9th GD(P) course as a pilot officer in the Pakistan Air Force. He graduated from PAF College Risalpur on September 15, 1951. In 1975, Tawab was promoted to Air Vice Marshal and appointed Chief of Air Staff of Bangladesh Air Force.^[1]

After Sheikh Mujib's assassination in August 1975, Tawab was immediately recalled from West Germany to active duty by Major Shariful Haque Dalim upon then Wing Commander M. Hamidullah Khan's advice. Air Vice Marshall A. K. Khandker was promptly dismissed, and Tawab was reinstated to Bangladesh Air Force and appointed the Chief of Air Staff with the rank of Air Vice Marshal.

The Bengal Lancers were directly involved in the coup and killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.^[2] They were posted to Bogra Cantonment and their officers were sent into diplomatic posting outside of Bangladesh.^[2]^[3] Major General Ziaur Rahman, chief of Bangladesh Army, had difficulty moving the Bengal Lancers to Bogra but eventually succeeded after Air Vice Marshall Muhammad Ghulam Tawab, Chief of Bangladesh Air Force, threatened to use Air Force aircraft against the Bengal Lancers.^[2]

Air Vice Marshall Muhammad Ghulam Tawab addressed a rally of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami calling for Bangladesh to be changed from a secular state to an Islamic one.^[4]^[5] Tawab also brought back four army officers involved in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and reinstated them in the Bengal Lancers at Bogra Cantonment. ^[2] This led to the 1976 Bogra mutiny under Syed Faruque Rahman, one of the officers Tawab helped return to Bangladesh.^[4]

After the failed mutiny, Major General Ziaur Rahman retired Tawab, sent the four officers back, and disbanded the Bengal Lancers.^[2]

M. G. Tawab retired from Bangladesh Air Force in 1977 and returned to West Germany. He died in Munich on February 23, 1999, from prostate cancer after several years of illness.

Awards and decorations

	Sitara-e-Jurat (Star of Courage) 1965 War	Sitara-e-Basalat (Star of Good Conduct) 1967
Tamgha-e-Diffa (General Service Medal) Kashmir 1964/65 Clasp	Sitara-e-Harb 1965 War (War Star 1965)	Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War (War Medal 1965)	Tamgha-e-Jamhuria (Republic Commemoration Medal) 1956