M Khademul Bashar, Bir Uttom (1 September 1935 – 1 September 1976) was the Chief of Air Staff of the Bangladesh Air Force during 1976. He also held the office of Deputy Chief Martial Law Administrator and was in charge of the Ministry of Petroleum, the Ministry of Food and Civil Aviation and the Department of Tourism.

Khademul Bashar
3rd Chief of Air Staff
In office
1 May 1976 – 1 September 1976
Preceded byMuhammad Ghulam Tawab
Succeeded byAbdul Gafoor Mahmud
Personal details
Born1 September 1935
Bogura, Bengal, British India (now Rajshahi, Bangladesh)
Died1 September 1976(1976-09-01) (aged 41)
Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Awards Bir Uttom
Military service
AllegianceBangladeshBangladesh
 Pakistan (Before 1971)
Branch/service Bangladesh Air Force
 Pakistan Air Force
Years of service1956-1976
Rank Air Vice-Marshal
UnitNo.16 Squadron
Commands
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965

Early life

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Bashar was born in Bogura on 1 September 1935 and educated at Satkhira Prananath High School and Rajshahi College.[1]

Career

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As Wing Commander he served as Senior Operations Officer of Tejgaon Air Base, including with responsibility of overall security of Dhaka International Airport until 27 March 1971.[citation needed] Group Captain A. K. Khandker, Bashar, and several other pilots defected in May 1971 and escaped to India.[2] He was among the only two BAF officers appointed as BDF Sector Commander during Bangladesh War of Independence with Pakistan by C-in-C Colonel M.A.G Osmani who appointed him BDF Commander Sector 6. The other officer was Squadron Leader M. Hamidullah Khan, who was serving as Asst. Provost Marshal and second in command of security and investigations at PAF Tejgaon Air Base and Dacca International Airport until March 1971. Later on November 3 C-in-C Col. M.A.G Osmani appointed M. Hamidullah Khan as BDF Commander Sector 6.[citation needed]

Death

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Bashar died on 1 September 1976 in an air crash in his (at the time) moderns fighter chengdu-f6. He was attending the inauguration of the Flying Instructors School at Tejgaon in Dhaka. On its maiden flight, an NZAI Air Tourer rolled over and crashed nose down into the airfield. Both the pilot Sqn Ldr Haq and Bashar were killed instantly.[3] BAF Base at Tejgaon, Dhaka has been renamed Base Bashar in his honour.

References

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  1. ^ Rahman, FM Mostafizur (2012). "Bashar, Air Vice Marshal M Khademul". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  2. ^ Alam, Badrul (March 1973). "How Bangladesh Air Force was Born". Indian Left Review. II (1): 67.
  3. ^ "Chronological Listing of Bangla-Deshi Air Force Losses & Ejections". Archived from the original on 2014-12-22. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
Military offices
Preceded by
Air Vice Marshal M. G. Tawab
Chief Of Air Staff
1976
Succeeded by
Air Vice Marshal Abdul Gafoor Mahmud