Full Name: Major General Golam Helal Morshed Khan (Retd.), Bir Bikrom

Affiliation: Central Command Council of the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad

Current Position: Former Chairman

Date of Birth: November 27, 1948

Place of Birth: Bangladesh

Home District: Sirajganj

Nationality: Bangladeshi

Profile:

Maj. Gen. Helal Morshed Khan (Retd.), BB (born 27 November 1948) is a heroic freedom fighter of the Bangladesh War of Independence. The Bangladesh government awarded him the title of Bir Bikram for his bravery in the war of independence. He served as the Chairman of the Central Command Council of the Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad.

Khan's ancestral home is in Sirajganj district. His father's name was Golam Arab Ali Khan and his mother's name was Afroza Khanam. He joined Pakistan Army in 1968 and trained in Pakistan Military Academy (First Pak) at Kakul of Abbottabad.

In the year 1971, when the call for independence in Bangladesh against Pakistani army rule was at its peak - Khan was a Lieutenant who had just graduated from the Pakistani military academy and was posted in Joydebpur, near the city of Dhaka. It was the 2nd Battalion of the East Bengal Regiment and the Battalion was a part of the 57 Infantry Brigade of the Pakistani army, commanded by Brigadier Arbab.

The Battalion was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Masud, a Bengali Officer and after the Pakistani army started Operation Searchlight in Dhaka from the 25th of March, 1971, the 2nd Battalion of the East Bengal Regiment had decided to mutiny against the Pakistani army and join the Mukti Bahini for independence. Major KM Safiullah led the revolt of the 2nd Battalion of the East Bengal Regiment alongside the Bengali civilians in Joydebpur.

But Second Lieutenant Khan's story was different. In mid-March, 1971, he was in Quetta for training, and by the 17th of March, his training was over. Then he came to Karachi and decided to stay there for a few days, but at that time did he notice the huge amount of Pakistani troops being airlifted from Karachi airport and being taken to Bangladesh. This surprised him a lot! He realized that something sinister was behind this idea of the sudden airlift of troops.

After the end of Khan’s training in Quetta, he had a leave of 10 days, till the 27th of March. But on the 19th of March, the 2nd East Bengal Regiment got in a fight with the 32nd Punjab in Joydebpur, resulting in utter chaos. The Bengali population supported the 2 EBR but soon, this mutiny was controlled. Hearing of this first mutiny through radio BBC, Lieutenant Khan bought his PIA flight tickets from Karachi and on the same flight with Bhutto, he came back to Dhaka on the 23rd of March- just 2 days before the commencement of Operation Searchlight.

Arriving in Dacca, Khan reported directly to his battalion. And by the 28th of March, 3 days after Operation Searchlight was launched, he was heavily involved with his Battalion “I'm rebelling against the Pakistani army”.

On the 29th of March, Major KM Safiullah took charge of the battalion and assigned Lieutenant Khan as the Delta Company commander. And on the 30th of March, Major KM Safiullah had decided to take back Dhaka from the Pakistani army. But that plan was scrapped as the Pakistani army strength in Dhaka was increasing rapidly and many towns inside Bangladesh were now under attack by the Pakistani army.

Lieutenant Khan led the Delta Company, marching with his Battalion towards Narsingdi, under the command of Major KM Safiullah, when he heard that the 4th Battalion of the East Bengal Regiment in Comilla had defected as well and was planning to hold off Brahmanbaria. He was amongst the officers of the 2nd East Bengal Regiment who went with Major KM Safiullah to meet up with Major Khaled Mosharraf near the Bhairab River. Here, the plans to hold the territories stretching from Mymensingh, parts of Sylhet and Brahmanbaria were laid out by the 2nd and 4th East Bengal Regiment. The plan was to resist the Pakistani army's access to the north eastern part of Bangladesh.

or the next 3 months, Lieutenant Khan and his Delta Company, alongside the 2 battalions of the East Bengal Regiment, held on to this huge territory for the next 3 months, till, the casualties were really high in the face of the superiority of the Pakistani army. Lieutenant Khan and the leftovers of his company fled to India.

By that time, the Provisional government of Bangladesh had been formed and the Mukti Bahini resistance was now divided into 11 sectors in Bangladesh. Lieutenant Khan and his boys were assigned to fight in the 3rd sector- the territory of Bangladesh spreading from Churamankathi near Sreemangal, parts of Sylhet and Brahmanbaria. The Sector was placed under the command of Major KM Safiullah and he further divided the Sector into 10 sub-sectors. And Major KM Safiullah assigned Lieutenant Khan as the commander of the Kalkalia sub-sector.

The Dhaka-Sylhet railway line that went through his sub-sector was cut-off by his boys. And for the entire 9 months, the Pakistani army couldn't start the trains due to the efforts of Lieutenant Khan. This was the beginning of his transformation into a guerilla warfare commander.

Alongside Khan’s own Delta Company, he had over 1500 Mukti Bahini guerillas under his command, and had turned his sub-sector area of operations into a house of terror for the Pakistani army. The local Bengali civilians had helped him a lot in his operations as well, acting as his local informants and keeping tabs on Razakars and the Pakistani army. So, alongside regular infantry warfare by his own company and using guerilla tactics by his Mukti Bahini boys, he would launch specific operations to kidnap Razakars, Pakistani officers, harass and create havoc for the occupation alongside blowing up bridges, electric cables, power plants and destroying Pakistani border outposts.

Soon, Lieutenant Khan and his Company was transferred to the 'S-Force' Infantry Brigade, and after the 3rd of December, 1971, he took part in the regular Mukti Bahini operations of the 2nd East Bengal Regiment. Alongside the Indian army's 311 Infantry Brigade, he led the Delta Company of the 2nd East Bengal regiment in the encirclement of Akhaura city. He was present in the liberation of Akhaura from the Pakistani army occupation.

By the 13th of December, 1971, Khan and his Delta Company reached Narsingdi after crossing the Bhairab River alongside the advancing flanks of the Indian army, closing in on Dhaka. Soon, the plans were laid out to attack the encircled city of Dkaha. The attacking part from the west was of 4 groups, namely the 10 Bihar and the 4 Guards of the 311 Infantry Brigade of the Indian army, the 2nd East Bengal regiment and the 11 East Bengal Regiment.

Lieutenant Khan's Company and the entire 2nd East Bengal Regiment was prepared to take down two enemy companies of the 15 Frontier Force of the Pakistani army across the Demra river on the 14th of December, when they heard that there was a possibility of Niazi's surrender. Still, he was ready, but after the surrender ceremony was over on the afternoon of the 16th of December, ceasing all hostilities, lieutenant Khan's Company, alongside the 311 Infantry Brigade of the Indian army, met up with the 15 Frontier Force of the Pakistani army, and together, marched towards the Dhaka stadium.

In Dhaka, Khan and the entire 2 EBR alongside the 311 Infantry Brigade, was welcomed by the jubilant Bengali crowds in that very evening. Lieutenant Khan was awarded the Bir Bikrom gallantry award for his services in the Bangladesh Liberation war. He continued to serve in the Bangladesh army and retired as a Major General. 

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