Abdul Aziz Pasha
Native name
আবদুল আজিজ পাশা
Died(2001-06-02)2 June 2001
Harare, Zimbabwe
Allegiance Pakistan (Before 1971)
 Bangladesh
Service/branch Pakistan Army
 Bangladesh Army
Years of service1969–1996
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
UnitRegiment of Artillery
Commands held
  • Company Commander of K Force
  • Commander of 1st Field Artillery Battery
Known forAssassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Battles/warsBangladesh Liberation War

Abdul Aziz Pasha (died 2 June 2001) was a Bangladesh army officer who was convicted for involvement in the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[1]

Career

Bangladesh Liberation war

Pasha had fought for the Independence of Bangladesh during Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971.[2] He was the commanding officer of the 1st Field Artillery Battery, which was also known as the Mujib Battery.[3] Pasha's companions from the war described him as "an easy going and laid-back" person.[4]

Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

On 15 August 1975 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the president of Bangladesh was assassinated during a military coup. Pasha was one of the 12 self-confessed assassins.[5] He and Risaldar Moslemuddin gunned down Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, Sheikh Jamal and his wife Rosy, and Sheikh Kamal's wife Sultana.[6]

After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the new government headed by Lieutenant General Ziaur Rahman, appointed Aziz as the first secretary to the Bangladesh embassy in Rome. He was arrested in Dhaka for his role in the 17 June 1980 attempted coup in Bangladesh. He was freed after agreeing to turn state witness. He was then posted to Nairobi, Kenya. He was in Zimbabwe when the Bangladesh Awami League government recalled him to Dhaka. He refused to return and as a result was dismissed his from the foreign service. He applied for and received political asylum in Zimbabwe.[7][8][9]

On 8 November 1998 Pasha, along with 15 other defendants, was sentenced to death for his role in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. On 14 December 2000, the Bangladesh High Court confirmed his death sentence.[10]

Death

Pasha died on 2 June 2001 in Zimbabwe.[11]

Pension

The Awami League government which came to power in 1996 dismissed him from government service. When Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power in 2001 they changed the government decision to show that he retired from service. This entitled his widow, Mahfuza Pasha, to his government pension.[1]

Legacy

After the assassination of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Pasha purchased the house of Jitendra Lal Basu in Sreebari, Ghior upazila, Manikganj. His house was seized by police in 1997 when an arrest warrant was issued for him. His house was bought by his brother in 2001 after he died. On 31 January 2010 the house was vandalized and burned down by activists of Bangladesh Awami League.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "No move taken to bring back accused". The Daily Star. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "No last post for convicts". The Daily Star. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  3. ↑ Zaman, Imamuz (2001). Bangladesh War of Liberation. Columbia Prokashani. p. 25. OCLC 49820892.
  4. ↑ Alam, Habibul (2012). Brave of heart : the urban guerilla warfare of Sector-2, during the liberation war of Bangladesh. OCLC 1144751416.
  5. ↑ "Six killers still out of reach". The Daily Star. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  6. ↑ "Bloodbath on Road 32". The Daily Star. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "Rewards for slayers". The Daily Star. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  8. ↑ "Govt to recover money spent on 7 killers". The Daily Star. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  9. ↑ "Nur not innocent". The Daily Star. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  10. ↑ "SC hearing ends, verdict Nov 19". The Daily Star. 12 November 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "6 killers still out of reach". The Daily Star. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "House of Aziz Pasha's brother torched". The Daily Star. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
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