Bangladesh Military

DHAKA, BANGLADESH: Bangladesh's Army T-69 tanks parade during the celebrations of the country's 34th Independence Day in Dhaka, 26 March 2004. Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971 following a bitter nine-month war during which three millions people were killed, according to official Bangladeshi estimates. AFP PHOTO/Farjana K. GODHULY (Photo credit should read FARJANA K. DHAKA, BANGLADESH: Bangladesh President Lajuddin Ahmed (L, standing on a jeep) inspects a military parade during the country's 34th Independence Day in Dhaka, 26 March 2004. Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971 following a bitter nine-month war during which three millions people were killed, according to official Bangladeshi estimates. AFP PHOTO/Farjana K. GODHULY (Photo credit should read FARJANA K. GODHULY/AFP/Getty Images)

Thank you all very much for honoring Bangladesh

KASHI

Thank you for posting the pics, Syed. Does Pakistan make T-69s or just assemble them?

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Originally Posted by Maruf29

Thank you for posting the pics, Syed. Does Pakistan make T-69s or just assemble them?

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Use to make all major components such as a the hull, turret, the gun, tracks etc. The engine and the transmission were imported. The production ended sometime back having overtaken by T-85s and now the Al-Khalids

Thank you for the information.

The East Bengal Regiment of the Pakistan Army. Now part of the East Bengal Regiment [EBR] Bangladesh Army and Bengal Infantry Regiment [BIR].

Smartly turned out honour guard contingent of the Bangladesh Army with Singapores PM at the war memorial. :cool:

BDR Jawans man a MG-3 Machinegun at the border facing India's BSF.

BDR Jawaan guards the Pan Pacific Sonargaon 5 Star Hotel at Dhaka during President Bill Clinton's visit to Bangladesh.

BDR Jawaans patrol the streets of Dhaka

The 7 ft tall War Hero and Chief of BDR Maj. Gen. Fazlur Rahman salutes to his troops stationed at a BOP in the CHT during border clashes with Myanmarese Paramilitary and Army.

IMAGES COURTESY OF: Bangladesh Military Forces Group of Websites

http://bmf-forum.co.nr

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...si_t/pic05.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...si_t/pic06.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...si_t/pic08.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...si_t/pic07.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...si_t/pic16.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...ebrc/pic04.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...birc/pic04.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...csme/pic07.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...csme/pic08.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...asea/edn02.jpg

Defense services command and staff college:

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/picga...scsc/tri05.jpg

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...ages/Bma-1.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...ages/Bma-2.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...pages/cmh1.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...ages/Bma-3.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...ages/AAgun.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...pages/med3.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...es/marshal.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...pages/para.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...ages/para1.htm

http://www.bangladesharmy.info/galle...es/train12.htm

Thanks Ashiq. good pics.
and, is that Maj Gen FazlurRehman really 7ft tall...

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Originally Posted by Ashiq

The East Bengal Regiment of the Pakistan Army. Now part of the East Bengal Regiment [EBR] Bangladesh Army and Bengal Infantry Regiment [BIR].

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This tiger looks rather startled!!! No offense to our Bengoli brethren.

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Originally Posted by Piffer

Thanks Ashiq. good pics.
and, is that Maj Gen FazlurRehman really 7ft tall...

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As far I know he is said to be really that tall. Here is an article about him.

WHEN FAILURE IS OUR MIDDLE NAME: IN PRAISE OF A FADING HERO

In a small dusty rural town called Mohanpur, 15 miles southeast of Dinajpur, everyday life is like any other typical Bangladeshi village bazaar during the winter season. It is crowded, chaotic, dirty and the people are the least bit interested in the outside world, busy trying to get the highest price for their rice harvest. But ask them about a name to anyone, like a M. Mosharrof Mian – the panwaala, or Raisuddin Ahmed, the local rice dealer, the local Imam at the nearby mosque by the roadside in Aamtoli or even the Manager of Sonali Bank. Their faces all invariably light up to the same degree of intensity radiating awe and reverence.

No, I’m not talking about some Superman, God or some great personality who had shaped our independence 30 years ago. The name is of a very ordinary man with ordinary beginnings who had consistently risen up time and again in the past to show the world our true mettle at a time when the Bangladeshi nation has been so resigned to failure and disappointment. A decorated war hero, a very fond subordinate of another great personality who was leading the our War of Independence in the Eastern front, an almost 7 feet tall man, dark and polite with a chivalry matched by few in our society today. When my parents had the opportunity to meet him at a movie theatre in 1977 in the town of Dinajpur, they had formed a very clear first impression. He was with his newly-wed wife, and according to my mother, he looked “very tall and handsome.”

Major General Fazlur Rahman – the recent Ex Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) Chief , he is the man I’m talking about. He is the man I recently looked up through the eyes of ordinary people in his hometown a week ago in Mohanpur. Armed with my SLR camera, my leather jacket, a few hundred takas, and a troubled conscience that my Indian colleagues in America had unconsciously implanted in my pysche, I decided to find out on my own from the local people if the Major General really was the demon demonized by the Indian Media during the recent border skirmish, or if he was really the neglected hero neglected by our former Government.

Fazlur Rahman made his name to the Indian Headlines with unanimous controversy, acrimony and wrath on April 18, 2001, while his name caused enough confusion and mixed feelings in the Bangladeshi media. When I first read the news headlines, I was naturally disturbed at the high death toll at both sides of the border. 19 able men dying meant 19 wailing widows who might be forced to earn a living through socially unacceptable means like begging (as we have seen in Afghanistan) or theft. It could mean probably 19 children being snatched of a decent fatherhood that you and I were lucky enough to receive. It might mean 19 mothers who might not know what to say in consolation to their daughters on the absence of their father on this year’s Eid, Holi or Diwali.

I made my trip to the birthplace of Fazlur Rahman on December 26th, 2001, eventually driving all the way to Tetulia and northernmost border outpost to chat with the BDR Jawans protecting our borders. I have discovered that Fazlur Rahman was not regarded as a decorated liberation war hero anymore, but rather his recent valiant actions to retrieve land and our pride from India that was rightfully ours since 1971, had elevated him to a super-hero in the people’s heart. When Sir Radcliffe drew our borders in 1946, the 4096 km common border with India had 6.5 km disputed involving 161 enclaves. In the last 27 years the Indian parliament, quite typically, had not yet reciprocally ratified the Mujib – Indira Border Treaty of 1974 just in the same fashion that it still refuses to allow mutual duty free access to Bangladeshi goods to its market. When the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) started constructing a link road across the no-man’s land to Padua – which was legally a Bangladeshi enclave - violating all international norms and ignoring the BDR call for Flag meetings, the seven feet tall Major General ordered the most clinically planned mission to retrieve Padua without a single drop of Indian or Bangladeshi blood. Certainly, there are very few instances in Military history where battles have been won and borders redrawn without a single loss of life. Except for our Holy Prophet’s ( S: ) conquest of Mecca, I cannot think of any other right now. When BSF, desperate to salvage their pride and to ‘teach Bengali Katlus a lesson’ (I’m quoting the term ‘katlu’ from personal experience - a derogatory term on Muslims meaning circumcised used on me during my four years in India), attempted a more ‘spectacularly’ planned mission in Roumari, the score was still in our favor.

Bangladesh –16 India – 3

“And the match ended with India losing 16-3 to Bangladesh, with two of their ‘players’ hurt and being flown to a Hospital inDhaka” (Imagine Akashbani Kolkata giving live commentary from the Eden Gardens).

16 Indian BSF soldiers (many alleged to be Army Regulars, some even Black Cat commandos) died sadly on April 18th 2001, in their fatefully unsuccessful mission deep inside Bangladeshi territory trying to capture the Bangladeshi outpost, while only 3 but very precious BDR Jawans lost their lives. They eventually died holding out against a platoon of Indian soldiers with just a handful men. BSF thought, that India, like in cricket, would be able to inflict an innings defeat on the Bangladeshi team just like a walk in the park.

In the plain American lingo, “Bangladesh – the underdog- caused an upset whipping some heavy Indian Ass on April 18th, 2001!”

The allegations of the Major General being a demon who personally ordered the alleged torture and point blank range killing of the BSF soldiers didn’t stand the test of time with the Indian Government eventually keeping quiet as the investigation progressed. Sadly, even the 16 Indian deaths didn’t receive the state honor that the BDR deaths did and the vitriolic Indian media suddenly went quiet after a month. Mosharrof Mian, Raisuddin Ahmed, the Imam and the Sonali Bank Manager were all unanimous in the pride they were beaming.

“Khuub bhalo manush, darun lok, BSF daily eto lok marey kothai kothai...Uchit Shikkha dise Fazlur Rahman”, said the pan waala.

“BSF je ja dorai na ekhon, bhai, amara dujoney oder post jekono shomoi urai dite pari”, said the BDR havildaar holding an AK –47 at the border post near Tetulia.

There is one thing very clear from this incident involving Major General Fazlur Rahman”: Time and again we can be fully capable of rising up to the occasion to boldly resist oppression (as we did in 1971, whipping 90,000 Pakistani Ass, against Pakistani domination, and recently in April 2001, against the countless innocent civilians BSF had been shooting along the border in the backdrop of the barbed wire fence and alleged claims of ‘infiltration’). If Tagore had lived long enough, I’m sure he would have taken back his cynical comments on the Bengali nation being a bunch of sissies (“shat koti ke Bangalee korecho... kintu manush koroni”).

At a time when despondency and anarchy rule everywhere in our society, when the political environment is so stratified that people often resort to violence with no mutual respect of other’s beliefs, forgetting that such behavior is detrimental to the greater welfare of Bangladesh, failure seems to be the only recipe that we Bangladeshis are capable of cooking so consistently. When we are failing to make a mark in economic development, social advancement, improvement in literacy, building a cleaner environment, or even a decent sporting nation, Fazlur Rahman stands out as a beacon of hope, a testimony that we are not a doomed nation at all, in fact, we are very well capable of great things for Humanity. Recent history is replete with great instances that our media often fails to remind the public for inspiration. We are the only nation who gave up lives to protect our language; the only nation where a conscious student body peacefully removed a dictatorial regime and restored democracy; we have achieved the highest literacy rate after Sri Lanka in South Asia (56% according to the CIA factbook 2001); we have the most successful family planning program after China. We can boast of the most successful microcredit program championed by our world renowned Dr. Yunus. We were the first developing nation to have successfully eradicated child labor in sweat shops and ensure the dignity of our younger generation. Our Computing whizkids stormed to the finals with stunning rankings in the recent Association of Computing (ACM) programming contests demonstrating that we are intellectually a virtual world super power if not militarily.

Yet, our march to prosperity still seems very slow. The ideal nation will probably never be achieved by us soon, for that role takes immense effort. What we lack is team spirit to work under an organized chain of command with a disciplined division of labor. We lack the willingness to set aside our personal, political, religious and philosophical beliefs for the greater benefit of the country. We require to focus intensely on the immediate needs of the nation, fathom what is actually missing and what actually breeds the disappointment in us. Major General Fazlur Rahman has shown us the way for quality team work, an able chain of command and a disciplined division of labor. Let that be a source of infinite inspiration, like a ship in the ocean of our currently self absorbed society. Most of us are so wrapped up in our own desires, so impatient, that we are incapable of playing the Ideal citizen role like Fazlur Rahman.

For once, let us make this pledge for the new year, in the foot steps of the valiant BDR Chief and all those great Bangladeshi leaders who have preceded him, that we will rise above all racial, religious and political beliefs and work as one immensely proud and confident nation of Bangladeshis. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, let us all have an ideal, a dream to die for, because, “ Without a dream to die for, we do not deserve to live.”

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Originally Posted by Waqar Hassan

This tiger looks rather startled!!! No offense to our Bengoli brethren.

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It doesnt matter about the logo but the EBR "Senior Tigers" can fight! Before Pakistan was divided the EBR won the most medals in the Pakistan Army. I will try and get you the list of all the men.

EBR troops are the most elite, nowdays they divided the EBR into two calling the new regiment the Bengal Infantry Regiment. One of my uncles serve in that regiment as a Major.

ashiq,
thanks for the article. good read.

EBR was indeed one of the best regmts of the combined Pak army and i'm sure they would be maintaining the traditions. do get the list if you can.

also, i wanted to ask you, could you post some details about other galantry award winners of Bangladesh. the Bir Sreshto winners and their stories etc. and what does Bir Sreshtho mean?
thanks.

You can visit our Bangladesh Military Forces website:

http://logodesigns-online.co.uk/bmf/

Where you will find all the details you need to know about the military and security forces of Bangladesh and also their is a forum their too where you can register to communicate with other defence enthusiasists from Bangladesh and many other countries including Pakistan.

HERE IS SOME DETAILS ABOUT BANGLADESH ARMY RANKS AND MEDALS:

http://logodesigns-online.co.uk/bmf/...sandmedals.htm

[Its probably the best source on the web as far as I know]

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I will try and get the list of Bengali military personnel of the 1st EBR who won gallantry awards in Pakistan from one of my friends in the BD Army but its gonna take a while probably since we are all busy these days.

nice links, thanks ashiq.

I am purchasing a dedicated server soon for the website so that we can offer better services and information for those interested. It should be all ready by January 2005.

Bangladesh Military - "Peacekeepers of the world", New pictures from UNPSO's

Shaukat Aziz at BD war memorial. One interesting thing is that the BD honor guards use AK-47s or Chinese SKS. Somewhere someone had mentioned that they use G-3s but I have yet to see any pictures of that. Any one have any?

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Originally Posted by syed saad

Shaukat Aziz at BD war memorial. One interesting thing is that the BD honor guards use AK-47s or Chinese SKS. Somewhere someone had mentioned that they use G-3s but I have yet to see any pictures of that. Any one have any?

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Well normally the Guards Regiment use Bangladeshi made SKS (Type 56) semiautomatic rifles for parades and honour guard roles and also the Bangladesh Army does operate the G-3 , MG-3 and MP-5 apart from UZI and one battalion is equipped with US made M-16A2's.

The G-3's are being replaced though and only one division of the Bangladesh Army currently operates the G-3s. The army command is looking at lighter, and more compact rifles with better capabilities so G-3's are being taken out of service. One interesting news I heard is that they were looking at Singaporean made advance combat rifles to modernise the army infantry.

Here are some pics of G-3's as requested.

Ashiq, thanks for the follow-up and research. One more question, are these G-3s also being produced locally? If so any links to the local defence industry in BD?

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Originally Posted by syed saad

Ashiq, thanks for the follow-up and research. One more question, are these G-3s also being produced locally? If so any links to the local defence industry in BD?

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Most semi automatic weapons including the G-3 and Type 56/63/68 are manufactured locally as far as I know.

Defence Industries

Bangladesh has quite a few different manufacturing and assembly plants that are run by the Bangladesh Military. The main ones that I can remember are BMTF, BOF, Khulna SY, Chittagong SY, Narayanganj SY.

BMTF manufactures/assembles vehicles for the military and government. Their product range includes Isuzu heavy troop transport trucks, Toyota Land Cruiser, Isuzu Rodeo, Isuzu 4x4, Mitsubish trucks, and assembly of all military transports. BMTF also supplies the Bangladesh Railyways with track parts and equipment apart from making industrial standard tools.

Other major assembly and manufacture of heavy equipment are done by the state run Atlas and Progati Heavy Industries who produce Mitsubishi Pajero, Buses, and Nissan Patrol and other vehicles. Some of these vehicles are exported to neighbouring countries like Nepal and Myanmar when their is a surplus.

Ships are built at Kulna, Chittagong Naval Dockyard and Narayanganj SY.

Khulna SY - KSY is run by the Bangladesh Navy and is being upgraded to manufacture large war ships such as frigates for the Bangladesh Navy. Currently it is building a 300 ton Offshore Patrol Vessel for the BN. The OPV is completely designed and built in Bangladesh.

Chittagong has similar facilities, though I am not too familiar with CTG SY. They probably maintain the BN's flotilla, while Narayanganj builds smaller vessels such as amphibious landing crafts, river patrol boats and other similar crafts.

We will launch the Bangladesh Military's website again in January Insallah as currently we are busy completing the website. I will have more information on the Bangladesh Military for you by then.

Allah Hafiz.

Bangladesh Defence Industries Products:

Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF) Products

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BMF -1 = Arunima Bolyan Troop Carrier Truck

BMF -2 = Arunima Bolyan Fuel Tanker Truck

BMF -3 = Bullet Proof Jackets

BMF -4 = Medals

BMF -5 = Personal Computers for government instituitions

Other products include machine tools, jibs, tube well, railway equipment, electronics etc.

Ashiq,
for some reason i've come up with a slight confusion lately. is the EBR an off shoot of the pre 1971 EPR?