NM Nazmul Ahsan was a Bengali student who died fighting in the Bangladesh Liberation War. [1] He is considered a martyr (Shaheed) in Bangladesh. [2] He was awarded the Independence Award, the highest civilian award in Bangladesh, posthumously for his contribution to the war. [3]
Ahsan was born on 20 January 1949 in Kakarkandi Union, Nalitabari Upazila, Mymensingh District, East Bengal, Pakistan. [1]
Ahsan completed his SSC examination in 1965. [1] He was admitted to the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology in the East Pakistan Agricultural University. [1] While studying at the university, Bangladesh Liberation broke out in 1971. [1] He trained in India and joined the war in Sector 11. [1] He commanded the 139 strong 'Nazmul Company'. [1]
Ahsan died on 6 July 1971 after his residence was attacked by Pakistan Army who had been tipped off by a member of the Razzakar paramilitary unit. [1]
Ahsan's son is Engineer Shahidul Islam Haque. [4]
East Pakistan was the eastern polity of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, established in 1955 under the One Unit Policy, renaming and restructuring the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis"; to distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal, East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" or "country of Bengalis" in Bengali language.
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The Bangladesh Liberation War was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh. The war began when the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan—under the orders of Yahya Khan—launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan on the night of 25 March 1971, initiating the Bangladesh genocide.
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Syed Ali Ahsan was a Bangladeshi poet, writer and university academic. He was awarded Ekushey Padak (1982) and Independence Day Award (1987) by the Government of Bangladesh. In 1987, he was selected as the National Professor of Bangladesh. He was credited as the official English translator of the National Anthem of Bangladesh.
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Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed was a Bangladeshi politician who served as a Member of Parliament and as the Minister of Social Welfare from 2001 to 2007. He was executed in 2015 for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation war of Bangladesh.
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Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Quazi Sazzad Ali Zahir is a veteran of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Bangladesh government awarded him the Bir Protik gallantary award for his bravery in the war. He was conferred with the Independence Award, Bangladesh's highest civilian in 2013 and India's fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri on November 9, 2021.
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