Belal Shafiul Huq

Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Haq (born 1 December 1958) is a Bangladesh army general and the chief of staff of the Bangladesh Army, in office from 25 June 2015 to 25 June 2018.[1] Before his tenure as chief of staff he served as the Principal Staff Officer of Prime Minister's Office of the Armed Forces Division.[2] He has also served as an Aide-de-Camp to the President of Bangladesh.[3] He was commissioned into the armored corps of the Bangladesh Army in June 1978.[4]

General (Retd.) Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq
আবু বেলাল মোঃ শফিউল হক
Haque in February 2017
Chief of Army Staff
In office 26 June 2015 – 25 June 2018
President	Abdul Hamid
Prime Minister	Sheikh Hasina
Preceded by	General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan
Succeeded by	General Aziz Ahmed
Personal details
Born	1 December 1958 Brahmanbaria, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
Alma mater	Dhaka University BNU BUP BMA USACGSC
Awards	'Sword of Honor' from Bangladesh Military Academy in 1978
Military service
Allegiance	Bangladesh
Branch/service	Bangladesh Army
Years of service	1978 – 2018
Rank	General
Unit	Armored Corps
Commands	33rd Infantry Division, Comilla 19th Infantry Division, Tangail Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Chief Instructor of Defense Services Command and Staff College, Mirpur
Battles/wars	UNIIMOG UNMEE

Early life

Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq was born on 1 December 1958 in Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh.[5] He passed Secondary School Certificate (SSC) from Dinajpur Zilla School in 1972. Belal obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Dhaka University and master's degree on ‘Defense Studies’ from National University Bangladesh and Masters in Philosophy from Bangladesh University of Professionals. His brother Annisul Huq was elected Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation in April 2015.[6]

Military career

ABM Huq received formal education from Dhaka University and afterward attended Bangladesh Military Academy. After completion of training, he was commissioned in Bengal Cavalry on 18 June 1978. He was adjudged as the best all round cadet of his batch and was awarded Sword of Honor (an award given to the best meritorious cadet in Bangladeshi military forces). In a distinguished career spanning 40 years, Huq has held a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments. As a staff, he served as the 'Aide-De-camp' (ADC) to the President of Bangladesh, Brigade Major (BM) of an Infantry Brigade and Colonel Staff of an Infantry Division. He commanded two tank units, three brigades (one armored and two infantry) and two divisions (19th and 33rd). He also served as Military Secretary and Adjutant General of the army.[7]

UN missions

From 1988 to 1989, Shafiul Huq served as a Military Observer with the United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG). Huq was appointed Deputy Force Commander and Chief Military Observer of UNMEE on 4 January 2007.

Personal life

Huq is married to Shoma Huq. They have a son named Marzuq, and a daughter.[8] Anisul Huq, the first mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation is his brother.[9] His father Shariful Huq was the former director of Bangladesh Ansar and took retirement in 1982.

Retirement

Belal retired from the army with effect from 25 June 2018.[1]

Honours

Uttoron Padak Medal	Independence Day Award Medal	Cyclone Relief of 1991 Medal	1991 National Election Medal
1996 National Election Medal	2001 National Election Medal	Silver Jubilee Medal	27 years service
20 years service	10 years service	UNIIMOG Medal	UNMEE Medal

References

1. "Lt Gen Aziz Ahmed takes charge as Army chief". theindependentbd.com. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
2. "Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq made army chief". newagebd. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
3. "Lieutenant General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, ndc, psc". afd.gov.bd. Armed Forces Division. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
4. "Brigadier General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq". United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
5. "Chief of Army Staff". Bangladesh Army. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017.
6. "Lt Gen Abu Belal Shafiul Huq new army chief". daily-industry.com. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
7. "Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, ndc, psc". afd.gov.bd. Armed Forces Division. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
8. "Lt Gen Belal new Army Chief". thedailynewnation.com. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
9. "Mayor Annisul Huq loses battle, dies in London hospital". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2019-02-27.

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan	Chief of Army Staff 2015 – 2018	Succeeded by Aziz Ahmed
Preceded by Abdul Wadud	Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division 2013 – 2015	Succeeded by Md Mainul Islam