BAF observes 53rd death anniversary of martyr Sergeant Zahurul Haque
Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) has observed the 53rd death anniversary of martyr Sergeant Zahurul Haque with due solemnity on 15 February.
On this day in 1969, Sergeant Zahurul Haque, a Bengali member of the then Pakistan Air Force, was killed by the Pakistan Army while being detained for the Agartala conspiracy case in Dhaka Cantonment.
Sergeant Zahurul Haque was a free-spirited patriotic soldier. He was arrested in December 1967 in the Agartala conspiracy case filed by the Pakistan government and kept in the Dhaka Central Jail.
The case was later renamed "State versus Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Others". In this case, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was mentioned as the 1st accused and martyr Sergeant Zahurul was mentioned as the 17th accused.
Under the Air Force Act, Sergeant Zahurul was later held captive in Dhaka Cantonment. Ayub Khan was forced to withdraw the Agartala conspiracy case in the face of a mass uprising in 1969. But at the same time, Sergeant Zahurul Haque was shot dead by soldiers of the Pakistani Army while he was detained in Dhaka Cantonment on 15 February 1969.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the liberation of the country, a student hall of Dhaka University was named after "Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall" and BAF Base in Chattogram was named BAF Base Zahurul Haque in 1982.
He was awarded the "Swadhinata Padak" by the Government of Bangladesh in 2018.
On his death anniversary, a milad mahfil was arranged at the central mosque of BAF Base Zahurul Haque, Chattogram after Zuhr prayers seeking divine blessings for the departed soul of the martyr as well as continued peace and prosperity of the country.
Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Admin) Air Vice Marshal M Sayed Hossain, Air Officer Commanding of BAF Base Zahurul Haque Air Vice Marshal Md Zahidur Rahman, along with senior officers, airmen and other members of the base, attended the event.