Abdul Waheed Chowdhury

Major Abdul Waheed Chowdhury^[1][2][3] (1914–1965) was a senior Bengali military officer in the British Indian Army he was a World War II veteran soldier and later joined Pakistan Army.After the Partition of India and Independence of Pakistan in 1947 during that transition he was working as General Staff Officer at Supreme Commanders Headquarters and Pakistan's joint Military Council in Delhi,India.He played a crucial role in forming the Pakistan Army and was instrumental in establishing the East Bengal Regiment.Major A.W.Chowdhury was the first Officer Commanding(O.C) or Acting Commandant of 1st East Bengal Regiment,Training Company.Within the Pakistan Army, he was popularly known as the "Major A.W.Chowdhury"..^[4]

Chowdhury was born on 1 February 1914, in Dariapur village, Habiganj District, Sylhet Division. His father, Khan Sahib Abdur Rab Chowdhury, was the controller of examinations at Dhaka University.^[2]

Chowdhury completed his matriculation in 1931 from the Nabakumar Institution in Dhaka and later passed the intermediate examination from Dhaka College in 1933. He obtained a B.A. (Honors) in economics from Dhaka University in 1935 and completed his master's degree in 1937.^[2]

Major A W Chowdhury joined the British Indian Army and he received training at the British Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. As World War II broke out, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 4th Madras Regiment of the British Indian Army on 15 May 1941.^[2] During the war, he served under General Sir Edward Quinan in the British 10th Army stationed in Basra, Iraq. Later, he joined the British 10th Army's headquarters in Ceylon (now Srilanka) and, after its dissolution, served in the 1st Punjab Regiment Zhob Brigade under Brigadier Malik Mohammad Munir Khan Tiwana as Brigade DAA and QMG in Multan.^[2]

During the Partition of India, while serving in the Supreme Army Headquarters in Delhi under the Infantry Directorate of the Pakistan Cell, he played a key role in forming the Pakistan Army.^[2] He was later transferred to Rawalpindi, where he was involved in formulating Pakistan's military training doctrine. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947-1948, he was entrusted with the formation of the East Bengal Regiment, laying the foundation for the Senior Tigers.^[2]

In November 1947,Major Chowdhury successfully convinced Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck of the necessity of an infantry regiment for Bengalis. As a result, the East Bengal Regiment was approved and formed with permission of Muhammad Ali Jinnah.^[2] He became its first Bengali commanding officer and led its initial training.^[2] The Bengalis faced discrimination in the center from West Pakistani Army officers to the chagrin of ethnic Bengali Army officers.^[2][4]

Major A W Chowdhury passed away on 18 February 1965, at his residence on Nazimuddin Road, Dhaka, at the age of 51. He was interred at the Mariam Saleha Mosque graveyard in Babupura, Dhaka.^[2]