Molla Fazle Akbar
Molla Fazle Akbar | |
|---|---|
 Fazle Akbar in 2011 | |
| Born | 29 February 1952 Chittagong, East Bengal, Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Bangladesh |
| Service |  Bangladesh Army Bangladesh Rifles |
| Years of service | 1976 - 2016 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Regiment of Artillery |
| Commands |
|
| Battles / wars | UNMIL Bangladesh Liberation War |
| Awards |  Bishishto Seba Padak (BSP).svg){kind=small} Independence Day Award |
| Other work | Chief executive officer, Regent Airways |
Molla Fazle Akbar was a three-star rank Bangladesh Army officer. A Lieutenant General and the former Director General of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence. After retirement he served as the Chief advisor of Regent Airways, Bangladesh operating in domestic and international routes and the chairman of the board of directors of a financial institute, Bangladesh Industrial Finance Company Limited (BIFC)[1] as well as Vice Chairman of the board of directors of a commercial Bank, Union Bank Limited.
Education
[edit]Fazle Akbar earned Bachelor of Science degree in war studies from Baluchistan University, Pakistan and obtained Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He completed Masters in Social Studies (MSS) in political science from University of Dhaka and Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from North South University, Dhaka. He earned his Masters of Philosophy (M.Phil.) from National University of Bangladesh. At present he is pursuing Ph.D as research fellow of Bangladesh University of Professional (BUP), Dhaka.
He attended a number of military courses both at home and abroad. He completed his Anti Aircraft Firing Drone Course from China and Security Intelligence Administration Course from United Kingdom. He is a graduate of Army Command and Staff College, Quetta, Pakistan. He is also a graduate of National Defence College, Bangladesh.
Career
[edit]Military
[edit]He was commissioned in the Corps of Artillery, Bangladesh Army on 30 November 1976.
As staff he worked as the Brigade Major of two infantry brigades, Staff Officer in Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Grade One Staff Officer (Training & Operations) in an Infantry Division, Assistant Defence Adviser at Bangladesh High Commission in India and Colonel Staff in an infantry division. He also performed as Director of Military Operations and Director of Artillery in General Staff Branch, Army Headquarters.
Fazle Akbar commanded an air defence artillery regiment. He also commanded an air defence artillery brigade (ADA) of the Bangladesh Army and a field artillery brigade. He also commanded a sector of the then Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) presently known as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
He was made the Director General of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence on 5th February, 2009.[2] In 2010 he was promoted to Lieutenant General. Making him one of the four officers of that rank in Bangladesh army at that time.[3] He improved cooperation with India and the US during his tenure as Director General. He also focused agency resources on counter-terrorism operations.[citation needed]
In his last assignment he served as the Commandant of National Defence College (NDC). General Fazle Akbar was the 'Colonel Commandant of the Regiment of Artillery' of Bangladesh Army from March 2010 to February 2015. He went to retirement on 16 February 2016.[1]
UN Mission
[edit]He was also the first sector commander of Bangladesh sector in Liberia, UNMIL (United Nations Mission in Liberia) where he inducted and commanded a brigade group force.
Post-Military Career
[edit]After his retirement he joined as a chief adviser of Regent Airway. Then he became the CEO of Regent Airway which ceased to operation in 2020. [4]. In March 2024,as it's CEO, he announced the launching of new a airline called Fly Dhaka which was supposed to start operation in December, 2024. [5]
Before 2018 general election in Bangladesh, he pledged his support for Bangladesh Awami League along with many other officers. [6]
Controversies
[edit]In November 2024, the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, reportedly canceled the passports of 22 former military and security officials. This action was based on allegations of involvement in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during the tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Lieutenant General Molla Fazle Akbar, who served as the Director General of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) from 2009 to 2011, was among those whose passports were revoked. [7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Lt Gen Mollah Fazle Akbar | Aviation Show MENASA". www.terrapinn.com. 7 November 2016. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ^ "New DGFI chief named". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "2 army officers promoted to lieutenant general". The Daily Star. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
- ^ "Lt Gen Mollah Fazle Akbar". www.terrapinn.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Fly Dhaka set to become country's newest private airline: CEO". www.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Over 150 ex-military officers to work for AL during polls". www.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Bangladesh's Yunus govt cancels passports of 22 officials". Ary News. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
