M A G Osmani
Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani, better known by
General M.A.G. Osmani (
1918-
16 February,
1984)was the supreme commander of
Mukti Bahini and
Bangladesh Armed Forces during the
Bangladesh Liberation War.
Osmani was born in Dayamir,
Sylhet District on
1 September,
1918. He graduated from Sylhet Government High School in 1934. Later, he studied in
Aligarh Muslim University,
India.
In 1939, Osmani started his military career as a Gentleman Cadet of the Royal Armed Forces. Upon finishing his training at the British Indian Military Academy in
Dehradun, he joined the British Army as a commissioned officer in 1940, when the
World War 2 was going on. As a commander of a British Army battalion, he served in the
Burma sector and was promoted to a Major in 1942. Following the war and the
Partition of India in 1947, Osmani joined the
Pakistan Army on
7 October,
1947, and was promoted to
Lieutenant Colonel. He served as an aide to the Chief of General Staff in 1949. Later, he served as director of Rifle company in the 9th battalion of the 14th Punjab Regiment, additional commandant of the
East Pakistan Rifles, and general staff officer of the army. Osmani was promoted to a
Colonel in 1956 and held the post of deputy director of general staff and military operations. He retired from
Pakistan Army on
16 February,
1967.
After his retirement, Osmani entered the politics of
East Pakistan. He joined the
Sheikh Mujib-led
Awami League in 1970. As a candidate from
Awami League, he was elected a member of the Pakistan national assembly in the 1970 elections in
Pakistan. After the commencement of
Bangladesh Liberation War, Osmani became a member of the provisional government-in-exile.
With the formation of Mujib's government on
17 April 1971, Osmani was appointed commander in chief of all Bangladesh Armed Forces. Under his direct command, Osmani divided up the entire declared Bangladesh territory to 11 sectors. Each sector was under the command of a trained military officer with the title of Sector Commander. Each sector also had sub-sectors with sub sector commanders.
After the country's independence, Osmani was elevated to the rank of General of the Bangladesh Armed Forces with effect from the date of
16 December,
1971. With the abolition of the post of Commander in Chief on
7 April 1972, Osmany retired from service. He was then included in the cabinet of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as Minister of Shipping, Inland Water Transport and Aviation. Osmani was elected a member of the national parliament in 1973, and was included in the new cabinet with charge of the ministries of Post, Telegraph and Telephone, Communication, Shipping, Inland Water Transport and Aviation. He resigned from the cabinet in May 1974. After the introduction of one-party system of government through the Fourth Amendment to the
constitution in 1975, he resigned from Parliament and also from the primary membership of the
Awami League.
MAG Osmany was appointed an Adviser to the President in charge of Defence Affairs by
Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed (then President and Law Minister currently) on
29 August 1975. But he resigned immediately after the killing of four national leaders inside the
Dhaka Central Jail on
3 November.
Osmani launched a new political party styled as Jatiya Janata Party in September 1976 and was elected its President. He contested in the presidential elections in 1978 as a nominee of the Democratic Alliance. He contested in the presidential elections once again in 1981 as a nominee of the Jatiya Nagarik Committee (National Citizens Committee).
All his life Osmani lived as a bachelor and thus had no offsprings who exist today. As a result, his home in north-eastern Bangladesh from where he hails, is currently in ruins, and the Government has claimed it as its official territory.
Osmani was diagnosed with cancer. He died in bed on
16 February 1984 while under treatment for cancer (funded by the government) in London, at the age of 66. He was buried in
Sylhet with full military honours.
Mohammed Ataul Ghani Osmani is currently revered as one of the greatest freedom fighters of the nation, a brave man never afraid of laying down his life. The international airport in his hometown of Sylhet has been named after him as Osmani Antorjatik Biman Bondor (
Osmani International Airport - Sylhet). Even the state-run hospital in Sylhet, is named after him as Osmani Hospital. Also a small flock of tourists and local visitors flock to his dilapitated home in Dayamir, Sylhet to have a decent picnic on the huge lawn, a swim in the vast pond dug by himself, or just to admire the dilapitated house thet gave rise to one of the country's greatest sons.
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Bangladesh Liberation War*
Mukti Bahini*
Bangladesh Army*
Banglapedia article on Osmani
