Abdul Qadir (officer)

Abdul Qadir

Born| 2 January 1929
Rangpur, Bengal Province, British India (Now, Rangpur, Bangladesh)
Died| 28 April 1971 (aged 42)
Chittagong Cantonment, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Buried|

Qadirabad Cantonment

Allegiance|  Pakistan (Before 1971)
Bangladesh
Service/branch|  Pakistan Army
Bangladesh Army
Years of service| 1949–1971
Rank|  Lieutenant Colonel
Unit| Corps of Engineers
Commands held|

* ADOS of Sector – I

Battles/wars| Bangladesh Liberation War

* Operation Searchlight †

Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Qadir (2 January 1929 – c. April 1971) was an officer of the Pakistan Army and later ADOS for Mukti Bahini while serving in Chittagong, during the initial period of Bangladesh Liberation War. He was involved in the Bengali independence movement and was arrested by the Pakistan Army in April 1971. He was presumed to have been murdered and in 2008, his body was found in a mass grave.[1][2]

## Biography[edit]

Abdul Qadir was born on 2 January 1929 in Rangpur, in what was then Bengal Province (now Bangladesh). He was a son of Abul Hossain Miah, a businessman. He joined the Corps of Engineers of the Pakistan Army in 1949. He graduated from Army School of Engineering in 1962 and three years later completed an engineer officers' career course in Virginia, United States. He finished graduate studies at the Physics Department of Dhaka University. In 1966 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was made the chief of Oil and Gas Development Corporation of East Pakistan in 1970.[3]

## Death[edit]

Qadir was sympathetic to the Bengali independence movement and after the start of the Bangladesh Liberation War, he assisted revolters by supplying them with explosives and assisted groups in organizing the movement.[3] He was arrested on 17 April 1971 by the Pakistan Army from his residence in Chittagong. He then disappeared in custody. His body was found in a mass grave in Chittagong in 2008.[4] The site of the mass grave was located by Nadeem Qadir, his son. Qadir's body was exhumed from the mass grave and buried in Qadirabad Cantonment in Natore, Rajshahi, Bangladesh,[3] with full military honours.[5] The cantonment was later named after him.[3] A stamp was issued with his image by the Government of Bangladesh.[6]

## Personal life[edit]

He was married to Hasna Hena Qadir. She was one of the founders of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, an organisation that has been demanding trial of war criminals from the Bangladesh Liberation War.[7] His son, Nadeem Qadir, is the press minister of the Bangladesh High Commission in the United Kingdom.[8]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Freedom fighters seek steps to preserve mass grave". The Daily Star. 20 January 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
2. ^ "Nadeem Qadir honoured". The Daily Star. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
3. ^ a b c d "War hero laid to rest, finally". The Daily Star. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
4. ^ Palma, Porimol (19 January 2008). "Freedom fighter Lt Col Qadir's grave traced after 36 years". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
5. ^ "A Proper Farewell". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
6. ^ "Death anniversary". The Daily Star. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
7. ^ "Death anniversary". The Daily Star. 12 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
8. ^ Qadir, Nadeem (11 September 2014). "A foolish imagination?". Dhaka Tribune (Op-ed). Retrieved 14 November 2016.

*[c.]: circa