Hafiz Uddin Ahmad

Ahmad was a football player during his university days.^[8] He later played for Fire Service, Wari Club and Dhaka Wanderers.^[8]

Hafiz later joined the Mohammedan SC, in 1967. He remained with the Black and Whites until his retirement in 1978. He won 4 Dhaka First Division League titles with MSC: 1969, 1975, 1976, and 1978. He also won the Aga Khan Gold Cup title with the Black and Whites. In 1976, he led the Mohammedan SC team successfully. He replaced defender Zakaria Pintoo in the job. Mohammedan SC won the Dacca league title defeating arch rivals Abahani in the final 2–0. Hafiz scored both the goals. Mohammedan SC reached the finals of the Aga Khan Gold Cup Football later in the year beating Sri-Lanka national team 2–1 in the SF. But they lost to the Penang Football Association Team (Malaysia) 3–0 in the final. In 1973, Hafiz became the first after independence to score a double hat-trick in the First Division as Mohammedan defeated Fire Service 6–0.^{[9] [6]}

He was selected for the Pakistan national team in 1967 during test series against Saudi Arabia,^[8] and the same year he played in the 1968 AFC Asian Cup qualification in Burma, and the 1967 RCD Cup in Dacca.^{[10] [8]} He also played against the touring American club Dallas Tornado in 1967.^[8]

In March 1968, he played in test matches against Soviet club FC Kairat in home venue, and the next year he featured against CSKA Moscow during their tour to Pakistan in February 1969.^[8] The same year he participated in the 1969 Friendship Cup in Iran, and the 1969 RCD Cup in Turkey.^[8]

He last featured at the 1970 RCD Cup as vice-captain behind Qadir Bakhsh, and captained^{[citation needed ]} the national team in an exhibition match against Bandar-e Pahlavi after the finalisation of the tournament, which ended in a 4–2 victory.^[11]

He was the fastest man in East Pakistan in the three seasons of 1964, 1965 and 1966. He won gold medals in the 100 and 200 meters in record timings.^[12]

While playing for the Pakistan and Mohammedan football teams, In 1967, Ahmad was inspired to join the Pakistan Army by the General Secretary of the Pakistan Football Federation, Major Mohammad Hossain Malik. Ahmed applied to join the army's Education Corps but later shifted to infantry and was commissioned in 1968 in the 1st East Bengal Regiment (the Senior Tigers).^[3] He was trained at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Abbottabad. After being commissioned, he continued his career as a football player and participated in many tournaments. After the 1970 Bhola cyclone, he as a captain, with Bravo Company, engaged in relief work at Galachipa, Patuakhali.^{[7] [10]}

Ahmad was at Jagdishpur Village in the border area of Jessore as part of a training exercise. He was barred from all type of communication there and had no idea of Operation Searchlight by Pakistan Army and the declaration of independence of Bangladesh. He returned to Jessore Cantonment on 29 March. He learned from his batman that there was an order for the Baloch Regiment to disarm the East Bengal Regiment, and that 25 Baloch Regiment and 22 Frontier Force had taken up positions in front of the cantonment. The arsenal had been broken into by East Bengal non-commissioned officers and soldiers. He joined the Bangladesh War of Independence ^[3] and asked his commanding officer, Colonel Jalil to join the war. But Jalil, who maintained contact with M. A. G. Osmani of the Bangladesh Awami League, refused to join the war, as Osmani had asked.^[7]

During the subsequent battle, Ahmad fought alongside his troops, but realised that the ammunition they had with them would not be enough to last for more than three hours. So, he started thinking about an exit plan. After fighting relentlessly for almost two hours, he finally escaped the cantonment with 200 companions.^[7]

In later campaigning, Ahmad, under continuous attack from the Pakistani army, he maintained a free zone at Jessore, including Benapole BOP, from April to mid-May.^[7] During the second week of May 1971, Ahmed was ordered to move to Tura, Meghalaya to join the BDF Sector 11 under Major Ziaur Rahman. He was selected to lead the Bravo formation as company commander of 1st East Bengal Regiment in Jessore.^[1] He was injured during the Battle of Kamalpur, one of the most significant battles fought by Bangladesh forces in 1971.^[7]