The Bangladesh Air Force observed the 55th death anniversary of martyr Sergeant Zahurul Haque with due solemnity on Thursday.

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 Agartala conspiracy case in Dhaka Cantonment. Sergeant Zahurul Haque was a free-spirited patriotic soldier.

He was arrested on December 1967 in the Agartala conspiracy case filed by the Pakistan government and kept in the Dhaka Central Jail. The case was later renamed as ‘State versus Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Others’.

In this case Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was mentioned as the 1st suspect and martyr Sergeant Zahurul Haque was mentioned as the 17th accused. Under the Air Force Act, Sergeant Zahurul Haque was later held captive in Dhaka Cantonment.

Ayub Khan was forced to withdraw the Agartala conspiracy case in the face of the mass uprising in 1969. But at the same time, Sergeant Zahurul Haque was shot dead by soldiers of Pakistani Army while he was detained in Dhaka Cantonment on 15 February 1969.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution for the liberation of the country, a student hall of Dhaka University was named after 'Sergeant Zahurul Haque Hall' and Bangladesh Air Force Base in Chattogram was named after Bangladesh Air Force Base Zahurul Haque in 1982, says an ISPR press release.

He was awarded the ‘Swadhinata Padak’ by the Government in 2018. On his death anniversary, a milad mahfil was arranged at the central mosque of Bangladesh Air Force Base Zahurul Haque, Chattogram after Zuhr prayer seeking the divine blessing for the departed soul of the martyr and continued peace & prosperity of the country.

Air Officer Commanding of BAF Base Zahurul Haque Air Vice Marshal A K M Shafiul Azam, senior officers, airmen and other members of the Base attended the Milad Mahfil.