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Women have been associated with the Bangladesh Army since the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. [1]
In the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, a Bengali female doctor from the Pakistan Army's medical corps participated, she was Sitara Begum who was commissioned into the Pakistan Army Medical Corps as a lieutenant in 1970. She took part in the 1971 war as the commanding officer of a field hospital, the Bangladesh Field Hospital; she was awarded the Bir Protik medal for her contribution. [2]
Since the early part of the 2000s decade, women are being commissioned in various corps of the Bangladesh Army like men though women can't become officers in the infantry regiment and in the armored corps. [3] [4] [5] Zannatul Ferdous became the first female paratrooper in 2013 who was commissioned on 24 December, 2009 from the Bangladesh Military Academy's 59th long course. [6] [7] In 2019, four female officers were made lieutenant colonels and were appointed commanding officers of units, they were Sanjida Hossain, Syeda Nazia Raihan and Farhana Afreen of the artillery regiment and Sarah Amir of the engineers corps. [8] [9] [10]
Nazma Begum of the Bangladesh Army Medical Corps was the first female contingent commander in United Nations peacekeeping, she went to UNOCI in 2016 with a 56-member contingent; as a lieutenant colonel she was the first female commanding officer of a field ambulance of the Bangladesh Army. [11] [12] Another noted woman from the medical corps Susane Giti was the first woman in the history of the Bangladesh Army who was promoted to major general in 2018. [13] [14]
The first batch of female ordinary soldiers of the Bangladesh Army completed their recruit training on 29 January 2015 in Ghatail Cantonment which is situated in the Tangail district. [15] [16] [17] This was the first time in the history of the Bangladesh Army that women were recruited as ordinary troops, in the batch a total number of 879 women were enlisted as ordinary soldiers into the army's medical corps. [18] In the same year, the army got first female pilots, two women named Nazia Nusrat Hossain and Shahrina Binte Anwar became pilots; Nazia was commissioned in the corps of engineers and Shahrina was commissioned in the corps of ordnance, both were commissioned in December 2009, both of them completed their first solo flying training successfully in June, 2015. [19] [20] [21]
In 2022, a wheelchair-bound female officer named Kaniz Fatema was promoted to Major. [22]
Since September 2024, women in the Bangladesh army have been allowed to wear the hijab head covering to express their Muslim faith. [23]
The Bangladesh Navy got women sailors for the first time in its history on 30 May 2016. 44 women were enlisted as sailors on that day in BNS Titumir, Khulna, besides 727 male sailors completed their basic naval training on the same day. [24]
On 25 November 2020, at the Bangladesh Air Force's 'Recruits Training School' (RTS) which is situated in Shamshernagar the passing out parade of the 48th Airmen Entry was held, in this passing out parade a total number of 752 recruits passed out and among them 64 were females, this was the first in the history of the Bangladesh Air Force that women were recruited as airmen. [25]
The Bangladesh Armed Forces are the military forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. They consist of the three uniformed military services: the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Navy and the Bangladesh Air Force. The Armed Forces are under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Defence of the Government of Bangladesh, and are directly administered by the Armed Forces Division of the Prime Minister's Office. The President of Bangladesh serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh has the third-largest defence budget in South Asia, The Bangladeshi military is the 37th strongest in the world and the third most powerful military force in South Asia. Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. during peacetime, but during wartime they fall under the command of Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy respectively.
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy. Furthermore, the BAF has a territorial role in providing tactical and strategic air transport and logistics capability for the country.
Begum Khaleda Zia is a Bangladeshi politician, who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and second female prime minister in the Muslim world, after Benazir Bhutto. She is the widow of one of the former President of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman. She is the chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 1984, which was founded by her husband in 1978.
The Bangladesh Army is the land warfare branch and the largest component of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The primary mission of the Army is to defend the land of Bangladesh from any external attack. Control of personnel and operations is administered by the Army Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment. The Bangladesh Army is also constitutionally obligated to assist the government, during times of domestic national emergency e.g. the army helps people during any natural calamity. This additional role is commonly referred to as "aid to civil administration" or, using the Latin form, "Protectio, Transparentia, Reintegratio", in others words, "Protect and Serve".
The Bangladesh Police is the national law enforcement agency of Bangladesh, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement of law and order within Bangladesh. Though the police are primarily concerned with the maintenance of law and order and security of persons and property of individuals, they also play a big role in the criminal justice system. Bangladesh Police played an important role during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police is the unit of Bangladesh Police responsible for law enforcement in the metropolis of Dhaka, the national capital and most populous city in Bangladesh. The DMP is the largest police force unit in Bangladesh. At present, the DMP commissioner is Md. Mainul Hasan.
Dipu Moni is a Bangladeshi politician and former minister of social welfare. She was a member of parliament for the Chandpur-3 constituency. She was minister of education in the fourth Hasina ministry and minister of foreign affairs in the second Hasina ministry. She was appointed as the first female foreign minister of Bangladesh on 6 January 2009, serving until 2013. Currently she is Joint secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League.
Women in the Pakistan Armed Forces are the female officers who serve in the Pakistan Armed Forces. In 2006, the first women fighter pilot batch joined the combat aerial mission command of PAF. The Pakistan Navy prohibits women from serving in the combat branch. Rather, they are appointed and serve in operations involving military logistics, staff and senior administrative offices, particularly in the regional and central headquarters. There was a rise in the number of women applying for the combat branch of PAF in 2013.
Abu Taher Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, was a Bangladeshi film and television actor, director and screen-playwright. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2015 by the Government of Bangladesh. He won Bangladesh National Film Awards five times for his roles in Dayee Ke? (1987), Madam Fuli (1999), Churiwala (2001), Mon Bosena Porar Table E (2009) and Chorabali (2012).
Nadia Sharmeen is a Bangladeshi journalist. In 2015, she won the US State Department's International Women of Courage Award.
Begum Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, commonly known as Begum Mujib; and also known by her nickname Renu, was the wife of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh. She is the mother of Sheikh Hasina, the leader of the Awami League from 2009-2024. She was killed along with her husband, brother-in-law, 3 sons and 2 daughters-in-law.
Aziz Ahmed SBP (BAR) is a retired Bangladeshi four star general who was the Chief of Army Staff (CAS) of the Bangladesh Army from 25 June 2018 to 24 June 2021. He was succeeded by General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed on 24 June 2021.
Bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Palestine are close and cordial. Bangladesh has been a consistent supporter of the Palestinians right to an independent state, and has no diplomatic relations with Israel. Furthermore, Bangladesh offers scholarships to young Palestinians, and the two countries co-operate on military affairs.
Sheikh Sayera Khatun was the matriarch of Sheikh-Wazed political family and mother of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh. She was the grandmother of the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina.
Anannya Top Ten Awards is the prize for women in Bangladesh recognition of contribution to the fields of agriculture, industrial, trade, economics, acting, music, sports, education, liberation war, social welfare and development-work-law, human rights, entrepreneur, politics and journalism. The award is being given since 1993.
Susane Giti SUP, FCPS is a retired major general of Bangladesh Army. She is the first woman to be promoted to 2 star General. She served as the Commandant of Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. She was promoted to the rank of major general on 30 September 2018 as the first female major general in the Bangladesh Army.
Shireen Akhter is a Bangladeshi academic. She was the first female vice chancellor of the University of Chittagong.
Dr. Captain Sitara Begum is a Bangladeshi doctor, Army officer, and War hero. She is one of two women in Bangladesh who has received Bir Protik award. She played a magnificent role in Sector 2 during Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
Women joined the Bangladesh Police for the first time in 1974, when 14 women were appointed in the Special Branch: seven were at the rank of Sub-Inspector, and seven were at the rank of Constable. The first female uniformed police members were recruited two years later, in 1976, when 15 women were appointed in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. They were also at the ranks of Constable and Sub-Inspector.
Fatema Begum is a retired Additional Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, second highest rank, and the first woman to join the police as a cadre officer of the Bangladesh Civil Service.