Sabihuddin Ahmed (army officer) explained

Sabihuddin Ahmed
Allegiance:	(Before 1971)
Branch:	National Defence Force
Serviceyears:	1961-1986
Rank:	Brigadier General
Unit:	Corps of Engineers
Commands:	Deputy Commander of National Defense Force Commander of 14th Independent Engineers Brigade Chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board
Battles:	Bangladesh Liberation War

Sabihuddin Ahmed was a Brigadier General of the Bangladesh Army.^[1] He has previously served in the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini. He was the founding chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, the largest power distribution company in Bangladesh.^{[2] [3]}

Career

After the Independence of Bangladesh, President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman appointed Ahmed to the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini led by Brigadier General A. N. M. Nuruzzaman.^[4] The Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini was a special paramilitary force composed of veterans of Bangladesh Liberation War.^{[5] [6]} The force was assimilated into the Bangladesh Army after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état.^[7] In 1977, President Ziaur Rahman asked Ahmed to head the recently established Rural Electrification Board.^[8] He agreed on the condition that he would have complete autonomy to operate the organization. He was appointed chairman of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board.^[9] The United States Agency for International Development provided US$50 million at the beginning of the program. The Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, Kuwait, and Finland provided US$280 million in additional funding. The Government of Bangladesh provided an additional US$132 million.

Ahmed served as the chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board from 2 January 1978 to 25 June 1986 and was replaced by Brigadier General Mohammad Abdul Halim.^[10] He met Senator Larry Lee Pressler on his tour of Dhaka in 1985.

Ahmed received a heart transplant in the United States with the help of United States National Co-Operatives of Rural Electrification, partner agency of the Rural Electrification Board official, James Cudney.

Death

Ahmed died on 30 May 2008 in Maryland, United States. There is a Brigadier General Sabihuddin Ahmed Hall at the Rural Electrification Board headquarters in Dhaka.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Book: South Asia and U.S. Interests: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate . 1985 . U.S. Government Printing Office . 9 . en.
2. Web site: Mahmud . AK . Power Plants . 2023-05-02 . Banglapedia . en.
3. Book: Modern Power Systems . 1982 . Miller Freeman Publications. . 52 . en.
4. Web site: Choudhury . Ziauddin . 1 June 2008 . Brig. Sabihuddin Ahmed: An intrepid soldier passes away . 2 May 2023 . The Daily Star . en.
5. Web site: Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (1975) - Jatiyo Rakkhi Bahini (JRB) from law enforcers to Sheikh Mujib's private army - History of Bangladesh . 2023-05-02 . www.londoni.co.
6. Web site: 2020-08-15 . Brutal killings and appalling inaction . 2023-05-02 . The Business Standard . en.
7. Web site: 2014-01-13 . Myth, reality and Rakkhi Bahini . 2023-05-02 . The Daily Star . en.
8. Web site: Alam . Mahbubul . 18 June 2021 . Rural Electrification Board . 2 May 2023 . Banglapedia.
9. Web site: September 1085 . Rural Electrification Program Bangladesh . 2 May 2023 . United States Agency for International Development.
10. Web site: Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board . 2023-05-02 . www.reb.gov.bd . en.
11. Web site: BREB head for steady power supply in Ramadan . 2023-05-02 . BREB head for steady power supply in Ramadan theindependentbd.com.