# Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh)

Chief of Army Staff (CAS) (Bengali: সেনাবাহিনী প্রধান, romanized: Shēnābāhinī prôdhān) of Bangladesh Army, is the commander of the Bangladesh Army. The Chief of Army staff has been a four-star rank since 2007. Prior to that, the Chief of Army Staff was a three-star rank from 1978 to 2007. During the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, Major general M. A. Rab was the Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Army under the combined command of Bangladesh Forces which served as the origins of Bangladesh Armed Forces and General M. A. G. Osmani was the Commander-in-Chief. After the War of Independence, Bangladesh Army was officially reverted to the Ministry of Defense in 1972, and Maj. Gen. K. M. Shafiullah was appointed the Chief of Army Staff. The incumbent Chief of Army Staff is General Waker-Uz-Zaman.
The office of the Chief of Army Staff functions from the Army Headquarters, which is located in the Dhaka Cantonment.

## History

The post traces its roots back to the Commander-in-Chief of the Mukti Bahini during the Liberation War of Bangladesh and it was held by Colonel (later General) MAG Osmani. On 25 March 1971, after long negotiations and actions failed to bring desired results, Pakistan Army launched a military crackdown on its own citizens, Pakistani military planners conducted this through Operation Searchlight, which spread across the country in main centers. During the first watch of 26 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the Independence of Bangladesh. Another declaration was read out on 27 March 1971, by then Major Ziaur Rahman, on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman over radio at Kalurghat Radio Stn., Chittagong City. As a result, in March 1971, many Bengali soldiers in the Pakistan Army revolted and joined the guerilla movement, Bangladesh Forces. Colonel (later General) Mohd. Ataul Goni Osmani served as the Commander-in-Chief and Lieutenant Colonel (later Major General) Mohd. Abdur Rab as the Chief of Staff.
Bangladesh Army came into being officially in January, 1972. In April 1972, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman then decided to change the commanding posts of the three services which was combined and commanded by General M. A. G. Osmani. On 7 April 1972, Maj. Gen. K M Shafiullah, was made the chief of army staff.
Chief of Army Staff's rank was upgraded to lieutenant-general in 1978 and then to four-star general in 2007.

## Appointees

The following table chronicles the appointees, to the office of the Chief of Army Staff or its preceding positions since the liberation war of Bangladesh.

### Commander-in-Chief, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)

| No. | Picture | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
| 1 | | Osmani, M. A. G.General M. A. G. Osmani psc (1918–1984) | 12 April 1971 | 6 April 1972 | 360 days | Army Service Corps |

### Chief of staff, Mukti Bahini (1971–1972)

| No. | Picture | Chief of staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
| 1 | | Abdur Rab, MohammadMajor General Mohammad Abdur Rab Bir Uttom (1919–1975) | 11 July 1971 | 6 April 1972 | 270 days | Army Service Corps |

### Chiefs of Army staff (1971–present)

Source:
| No. | Chief of Army Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Unit of Commission |
| 1 | Osmani, M. A. G.General M. A. G. Osmani psc (1918–1984) | 12 April 1971 | 6 April 1972 | 1 year, 24 days | Army Service Corps |
| 2 | Shafiullah, KaziMajor general Kazi Muhammad Shafiullah Bir Uttom, psc (1934–2025) | 7 April 1972 | 25 August 1975 | 3 years, 140 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 3 | Rahman, ZiaurMajor general Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | 25 August 1975 | 3 November 1975 | 70 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| - | Mosharraf, KhaledMajor general Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, psc (1937–1975) | 3 November 1975 | 7 November 1975 † | 4 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| (3) | Rahman, ZiaurLieutenant general Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttom, psc (1936–1981) | 7 November 1975 | 28 April 1978 | 2 years, 172 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 4 | Ershad, Hussain MuhammadLieutenant general Hussain Muhammad Ershad ndc, psc (1930–2019) | 29 April 1978 | 30 August 1986 | 8 years, 123 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 5 | Rahman, AtiqurLieutenant general Atiqur Rahman G+ (1931–2023) | 31 August 1986 | 30 August 1990 | 3 years, 364 days | Regiment of Artillery |
| 6 | Khan, NuruddinLieutenant general Nuruddin Khan psc (born 1940) | 31 August 1990 | 30 August 1994 | 3 years, 364 days | Corps of Engineers |
| 7 | Nasim, Abu SalehLieutenant general Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim Bir Bikrom, psc (born 1943) | 31 August 1994 | 19 May 1996 | 1 year, 262 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 8 | Rahman, MuhammadLieutenant general Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman psc | 27 May 1996 | 23 December 1997 | 1 year, 210 days | Corps of Engineers |
| 9 | Rahman, MustafizurGeneral Mustafizur Rahman Bir Bikrom, ndc, psc, C (1941–2008) | 24 December 1997 | 23 December 2000 | 2 years, 365 days | Corps of Engineers |
| 10 | Harun, MLieutenant general Mohammed Harun-Ar-Rashid Bir Protik, rcds, psc (born 1948) | 24 December 2000 | 15 June 2002 | 1 year, 173 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 11 | Chowdhury, HasanLieutenant general Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury awc, psc (born 1948) | 16 June 2002 | 15 June 2005 | 2 years, 364 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 12 | Ahmed, MoeenGeneral Moeen Uddin Ahmed ndc, psc (born 1953) | 16 June 2005 | 15 June 2009 | 3 years, 364 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 13 | Ahmed, MoeenGeneral Mohammed Abdul Mubeen ndc, psc (born 1957) | 16 June 2009 | 25 June 2012 | 3 years, 9 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 14 | Bhuiyan, IqbalGeneral Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan psc (born 1957) | 26 June 2012 | 25 June 2015 | 2 years, 364 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 15 | Huq, ShafiulGeneral Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Haq ndc, psc (born 1958) | 26 June 2015 | 25 June 2018 | 2 years, 364 days | Armoured Corps |
| 16 | Ahmed, AzizGeneral Aziz Ahmed SBP, BSP, BGBM, PBGM, BGBMS, psc, G (born 1961) | 25 June 2018 | 24 June 2021 | 2 years, 364 days | Regiment of Artillery |
| 17 | Shafiuddin Ahmed, SMGeneral SM Shafiuddin Ahmed SBP, OSP, ndu, psc, PhD (born 1963) | 24 June 2021 | 23 June 2024 | 2 years, 365 days | East Bengal Regiment |
| 18 | Zaman,Waker-UzGeneral Waker-Uz-Zaman OSP, SGP, psc (born 1966) | 23 June 2024 | Incumbent | 262 days | East Bengal Regiment |