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Shariful Haque Dalim

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Lieutenant colonel (Retd.)
Shariful Haque Dalim
শরিফুল হক ডালিম
Bangladeshi Ambassador to China[1][2]
In office
1976–1980
President
Prime Minister
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Hong Kong[1][2]
In office
1982–1988
President
Prime Minister
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Kenya[1][2]
In office
1988–1995
President
Prime Minister
Personal details
Born (1946-02-02) 2 February 1946 (age 78)[3]
Dacca, Bengal, British India[3]
Nationality
Spouse
Nimmi Chowdhury
​
(died 2005)​
Children1
Parent
Known forAssassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Awards Bir Uttom[4] (Revoked)[5]
Other nameMajor Dalim
Military service
Allegiance Pakistan
Bangladesh Bangladesh
Branch/service Pakistan Air Force
 Pakistan Army
 Bangladesh Army
Years of service1968–1976
Rank Lieutenant colonel
UnitArmoured Corps
Commands
  • Company Commander of Bengal Lancers
  • Sub-Commander of Sector - I

Shariful Haque Dalim (Bengali: শরিফুল হক ডালিম; born 2 February 1946)[1] popularly known as Major Dalim, is a retired army officer of Bangladesh Army and former ambassador of Bangladesh.[6] He was convicted for his part in the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état.[7][8][9]

Career

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Dalim had joined the Pakistan Air Force in 1964 and changed his job to Pakistan Army in 1965. When the Bangladesh War of Independence started, he joined the Mukti Bahini. In 1974, he was stationed with the Bengal Lancers. Due to accusation of breach of discipline, he lost his commission in 1974.[10] After the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975, he was re-employed in the Bangladesh Army and promoted to the rank of Lt. colonel.[11] In 1976, he was sent as a diplomat to the People's Republic of China after being assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[1] In 1980 he joined the London High Commission under orchestration of high commissioner Fakhruddin Ahmed.[12] In 1982, he took charge of Hong Kong as a commissioner. Served as ambassador to Kenya in 1988.[1] At the same time he was given charge of Tanzania. He also served as Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to UNEP and HABITAT.[1] He also held the special responsibility of overall supervision of Bangladesh Army personnel sent as part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force during the war in Somalia. He retired from government service in 1995.[1]

Participation in the Bangladesh Liberation War

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At the beginning of the Independence War of Bangladesh in 1971, Shariful Haque Dalim was in West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan). On 20 April 1971, he escaped and entered India and then joined the efforts with the Mukti Bahini in the war. In acknowledgment of his role and contributions, he was awarded the title of Bir Uttom, one of the highest military honors in Bangladesh.[1][13]

Role in 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état

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Dalim, along with a few other officers of Bangladesh Army including Major Syed Faruque Rahman and Khandaker Abdur Rashid, planned a coup which took place on 15 August 1975. He was major ranked officer during the assassination. He was asked to lead the attack on the house of President Mujib but he refused to do so. He was then given charge of the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment. Assassination of Sheikh Mujib took place during the course of the coup.[14] He took control of Bangladesh Betar Radio station and made an announcement stating,

"I am Major Dalim speaking; autocrat Sheikh Mujib has been killed. The army led by Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad has taken over power. Curfew has been declared".[15]

The coup made Mostaq Ahmad the president. The new president declared martial law and passed the 1975 Indemnity Act which provided legal protection to those involved in the coup.[16] Dalim was reinstated in the army and promoted.[17]

From 1 December 1982 to 6 May 1988, Dalim was the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Hong Kong.[18]

In 1996, the Awami League government, led by Mujib's daughter Sheikh Hasina began prosecution process for the case. Dalim was demoted and dismissed from the army. He was sentenced to death in absentia.[19][20] According to some reports, he lives in Pakistan on a Kenyan passport and has business interests in Africa.[21][22][23]

Public appearance

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Shariful Haque Dalim had been in hiding for an extended period due to his controversial role in Bangladesh's political history, particularly his involvement in the 1975 military coup that resulted in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Convicted in absentia for his role in the coup, he faced legal and political challenges during Sheikh Hasina's rule, which made his return to public life difficult.[24][25]

Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's regime and the political upheaval in Bangladesh in August 2024, Dalim resurfaced publicly on 5 January 2025, in a live interview on the YouTube channel of expatriate journalist Elias Hossain. In the interview, Dalim spoke about his life in hiding, contemporary political issues, and his perspective on his role in shaping Bangladeshi history.[26]

Personal life

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Dalim was married to Nimmi Chowdhury until her death in 2005[3] and has one daughter.[1] His younger brother is Kamrul Haque Swapan and younger sister is Mohua Haque.[27]

Bibliography

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  • Dalim, Shariful Haque (2002). Ami Major Dalim Bolchi (1st ed.). Dhaka: Bornolipi Prokashoni. ISBN:9789849587768[28]
  • Dalim, Shariful Haque (2021). Ja Dekhechi Ja Bujhechi Ja Korechi (in Bengali) (1st ed.). Dhaka.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) ISBN:9085647453353[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Life sketch - AMBASSADOR LT. COL. (RETD) SHARIFUL HAQ DALIM BU". Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Shariful Haque Dalim". www.goodreads.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "SHARIFUL HAQUE, DALIM". cbi.gov.in. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh Gazette of 15 December, 1973; Ministry of Liberation War Affairs". Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  5. ^ প্রতিবেদক, নিজস্ব (6 June 2021). "বঙ্গবন্ধুর চার খুনির মুক্তিযুদ্ধের খেতাব বাতিল". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  6. ^ Salil Tripathi (19 November 2014). "Of course, we killed him ... he had to go". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  7. ^ Karim, Rezaul (14 August 2016). "Four could not even be traced". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023.
  8. ^ "SHEIK MUJIB GETS TOTAL AUTHORITY OVER BANGLADESH". The New York Times. 26 January 1975. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  9. ^ Maniruzzaman, Talukder (1975). "Bangladesh: An Unfinished Revolution?". The Journal of Asian Studies. 34 (4). Cambridge University Press: 891–911. doi:10.2307/2054506. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 2054506. S2CID 154434833. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Shahriar's confession". The Daily Star. 19 November 2009. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  11. ^ "The Mujib killers". Frontline. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024.
  12. ^ Ali, Syed Muazzem (2 November 2005). "Fakhruddin Ahmed: Some recollections". archive.thedailystar.net. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  13. ^ Ekattorer Birjoddha, Khetab Pawa Muktijoddhader Birtogatha (Second Volume). Prothoma Prokashon. March 2013. p. 62. ISBN 9789849025375.
  14. ^ Sarkar, Ashutosh (19 November 2009). "Farooq's confession". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Dalim goes on air". The Daily Star. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  16. ^ "Shame darker than the night". The Daily Star. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  17. ^ Dalim, Shariful Haq (1 November 2011). Bangladesh, Untold Facts. Jumhoori Publications. ISBN 978-9699739408.
  18. ^ "Former Consuls General". Consulate General of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Hong Kong. Retrieved 31 July 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ "'Col Jamil involved, Khaled Mosharraf key plotter'". bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  20. ^ "Death sentence to Sheikh Mujib's killers is a surprising sequel to a tragic drama". India Today. 23 November 1998. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Where are they?". The Daily Star. 19 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016. Dalim lives in Pakistan and often travels to Libya, in particular Benghazi... Wali-ur Rehman said Dalim has business in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, and some other African countries. He even has managed a Kenyan passport.
  22. ^ "6 killers still out of reach". The Daily Star. 15 August 2012. Archived from the original on 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  23. ^ PTI. "Bangladesh trying to bring back founding father Mujib's killers from US, Canada". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  24. ^ ইলিয়াসের লাইভ টকশোতে ১৫ই আগস্ট সম্পর্কে যা বললেন মেজর ডালিম বীর বিক্রম. দৈনিক ইনকিলাব (in Bengali). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  25. ^ লাইভ সাক্ষাৎকারে মেজর ডালিম কী বললেন?. দৈনিক জনকণ্ঠ || Daily Janakantha. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  26. ^ ৫০ বছরের সব প্রশ্নের উত্তর দিলেন, বীর মুক্তিযোদ্ধা মেজর ডালিম (বীর উত্তম) #eliashossain #মেজর_ডালিম (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 6 January 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2025 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ "Col Rashid's daughter held for blast link". The Daily Star. 24 October 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  28. ^ a b "Banned books that have made a comeback". The Business Standard. 13 September 2024. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024.
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