Ishfakul Majid

Muhammed Ishfakul Majid (17 March 1903 – 31 March 1976) was the first Bengali major general in the Pakistan Army.

He was born on 17 March 1903 in Jorahat, Assam, Bengal Presidency, British Raj. He completed his undergraduate in Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam. On 2 February 1922 he joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was second Bengali and the first Muslim Bengali to graduate from Sandhurst.

Ishfakul Majid joined the Royal Military College, Sandhurst on 2 February 1922. He was commissioned on 27 August 1924 on the Unattached List for the Indian Army. After his commission, Ishfakul Majid was attached with the second battalion of Lincolnshire Regiment of the British Army for one year. On 31 October 1925 he was accepted for the British Indian Army, being posted to the 4th Battalion 19th Hyderabad Regiment. He was promoted Lieutenant 27 November 1926, Captain 27 August 1933 and Major 1 December 1941. He served in Burma and British Malaya during the Second World War attached to the Assam Regiment.

In 1947, Majid joined the Pakistan Army. In Pakistan Army he was promoted to the rank of Major General. He became the GOC of the 9 Division of the Pakistan Army. Majid was senior Ayub Khan but Ayub Khan became the Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army bypassing Major General Ishfakul Majid. Majid was named in the Rawalpindi conspiracy but later he was proved innocent.

He came back to Bangladesh in 1962. Major General Majid and General M. A. G. Osmani met Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in March 1971 on behalf of retired Bengali soldiers and showed their loyalty towards the new state of Bangladesh. Majid was later arrested by the Pakistan Army. He was tortured in custody.

He died on 31 March 1976 in Combined Military Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.