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Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque

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Officer of the Bangladesh Army

Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque
Born (1972-11-11) 11 November 1972 (age 52)
Mostafapur, Moulvibazar, Bangladesh
Allegiance Bangladesh
Service / branch Bangladesh Army
Years of service1996 - 2011
Rank Major
UnitCorps of Infantry
Commands
  • BM of 86th Independent Signals Brigade
Known for2011 Bangladesh coup d'état attempt
AwardsSword of Honour

Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque was a Bangladesh Army officer. He was one of the main plotters of the 2011 Bangladesh coup d'état attempt.

Early life

Haque was born in the village of Mostafapur, Moulvibazar District, Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. He completed his schooling at Uttara Holy Child School and College and Sylhet Cadet College. His father, Syed Zillul Haque, is a businessman. He is a practicing Muslim. He became more fundamentalist after his wife died of cancer.

Career

Haque joined the Bangladesh Army through the 41st long course of the Bangladesh Military Academy. He achieved the prestigeous Sword of Honour for his all-round performance in BMA. He studied in the Military Institute of Science and Technology. He was described as being "intelligent" and "skilled in IT".

Criminal History

He played a key role in the organization of the 2011 Bangladesh coup d'état attempt, contacting army officers in different cantonments asking them to take part in the coup. He went on the run after the coup attempt failed.

Haque "joined" Ansarullah Bangla Team and quickly rose through their ranks. The leaders of Jamaat’ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team had a meeting inside the Kashimpur high security jail and agreed to work together. Jamaat’ul-Mujahideen wanted Major Zia to help them with their bombmaking skills.

In 2016, the government of Bangladesh announced a 4-million-taka bounty on him.

In October 2020, the former major Haque was among 13 suspects charged by Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police for the murder of a blogger Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy.

On 10 February 2021, he was additionally convicted for murder of Jagriti Prokashoni publisher Foysal Arefin Dipon. He remained absconding while the verdict was given.

On 16 February 2021, Haque was sentenced to death by a court in Bangladesh for his role in the murder of Avijit Roy. According to a media statement from 2018 by the then Chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) Monirul Islam, Major Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque, was "directly involved" in the criminal act as he was present on the spot when the murder took place.

In August 2021, he received another death sentence in absentia, this time as an Ansar al-Islam operative, along with 5 others, for the killing of a former USAID official and editor of Bangladesh's first LGBT magazine Roopbaan Xulhaz Mannan, and his friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy.

In February 2022, Zillul Haque, the father of Ziaul Haque, declared his son as "a bigot and an extremist" in an interview with Prothom Alo English. Haque had gone missing, and his father reportedly never saw him again after December 2011.

On December 29, 2024, Haque, through his lawyer, M Sarwar Hossain, sent an application to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to withdraw all cases against him. His lawyer claimed that he had no knowledge of his whereabouts.

References

  1. "Arrest Maj Ziaul, Ishraq". The Daily Star. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Major Zia used UK mobile SIM to talk to officers". The Daily Star. 21 January 2012. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  3. "Most wanted militant Zia's ancestral home under lock and key". Dhaka Tribune. 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Who is militant Zia?". Dhaka Tribune. 3 August 2016. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  5. "Home-grown militants and ex-major behind Bangladesh attacks, police say". Reuters. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  6. ^ "JMB sought military skills from Maj Zia". Dhaka Tribune. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  7. "Tk40 lakh bounty on top 2 militants, details released". Dhaka Tribune. 2 August 2016. Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  8. "Sacked major Zia, 12 others charged by CTTC in blogger Niloy murder case". The Daily Star. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  9. "Death references of 8 convicts in Dipon murder case reach High Court". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  10. "'2 death-row convicts in Avijit murder case hiding abroad'". Dhaka Tribune. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  11. "Avijit Murder: Axed Major Zia directly involved, says Monirul". The Financial Express. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  12. "Xulhaz-Tonoy murder: 6 Ansar al Islam operatives sentenced to death". The Daily Star. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  13. "Who were Xulhaz and Tonoy?". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  14. Alam, Sheikh Sabiha (16 February 2022). "Militant Zia was a bigot: Father". Prothomalo. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  15. "Sacked major Zia applies for withdrawal of cases". The Daily Star. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
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