# M. Sakhawat Hossain

M. Sakhawat Hussain (born 1 February 1948) is a notable Bangladeshi author and researcher. He was the Election Commissioner of Bangladesh from 2007 to 2012 and retired from the Bangladesh Army as a brigadier general. He wrote more than 32 books, and serves as a columnist and freelance commentator on national and international television as a security and defense analyst. Before joining the interim government, he was the Senior Fellow at South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) at North South University. He has been serving as an adviser to the 2024 Bangladesh interim government of Bangladesh since August 2024.

## Early life

Hussain was born in Barisal, East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan on 1 February 1948 in a well known Muslim family of Barisal. He achieved his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) in 1963 from Karachi, Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) in 1965 from Islamia Science College (Karachi), Pakistan. He passed Command and Staff College Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1979 and obtained symbol PSC. He graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College (USACGSC) 1981–1982. He earned a master's degree in strategic studies from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Mphil Pt-11 with NDC, Bangladesh. He qualified from National Defence College, Pakistan obtained symbol NDC.

## Career

Hussain was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1969 from PMA, Kakul into the 4 Medium Regiment of the Artillery Corps. After completing his young officers' course from Nowshera and Quetta, he joined the Regiment as a gun position officer in the forward location at Khuiratta. He was posted in Kutton during the 1971 war as a Lieutenant and Command Post Officer, and thereafter taken into internment in August 1971. He joined the Bangladesh Army in 1972 upon that country's independence and promoted to Captain. He served as Captain commanding a BDR Company in 1972-1974. Promoted to Major in 1974, he was Brigade GSO-2 (Operations) of 46th Infantry Brigade in 1974-1975. He was then made Battery Commander in 1975-1978, as Major and GSO-2 (Training) of an Artillery Brigade 1978-1979, as Second in Command of an Artillery Battalion in 1979-1982. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1982 and posted in GHQ as ADC to General Ershad. He commanded an artillery battalion in Comilla Cantonment 1985-1986. Promoted to Colonel in 1986, he served in the DGFI until 1988, and thereafter as senior Adjutant in the Bangladesh Military Academy until 1991. He commanded the Jessore Sector of Bangladesh Rifles as a Colonel until 1994. Promoted to Brigadier in 1994, till 1998, he commanded an Infantry Brigade in Bandarban. Thereafter he commanded two artillery brigades and retired in 2002. Following the 2006–2008 Bangladeshi political crisis, he was appointed as a commissioner in the Election Commission headed by A. T. M. Shamsul Huda in 2007 and served till 2012.

### Command posts

Hussain led an artillery unit and a sector of the Bangladesh Rifles (now Border Guard Bangladesh). He also led two artillery brigades and an infantry brigade in counter insurgency operation in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

### Staff posts

Hussain served in director roles for staff duties, military training and artillery. He served in the Military Operations Directorate as a lieutenant colonel.

### Other expertise

Hussain served on the board of directors of Sonali Bank, the largest commercial bank in Bangladesh for two years. He attended NATO exercise in Germany. He led the first Bangladeshi military delegation to Germany to attend military exercises with the British Army on the Rhine.

## Post retirement

Hussain became an individual researcher in national security and defense, a columnist and security analyst.

## Author

As an author, Hussain wrote over 300 articles as columnist on national and international issues in local and international newspapers and journals. He was a freelance commentator on issues of security and geo-politics. He was a regular military analyst during the Iraq war. He was a leading strategic and defense analyst, a Bangladeshi commentator on security issues for British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for Bengali and English World Service, Tehran Radio and Voice of America (VOA). He wrote more than 20 books in Bangla and English on national and international politics, defense strategy, election etc. His first book dealt with politico-military events of Bangladesh between 1975 and 1981.

## Social

Hussain was a member and committee member of Kurmitola Golf Club, Rotary Club, Dhaka West & RAOWA (Retired Armed Forces Officers' Welfare Association) club and IANSA (International Association of Non-proliferation of Small Arms) Bangladesh chapter.