TBM Report
Former Chief of Air Staff of Bangladesh Air Force, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, was laid to rest with full military honors on Friday following his funeral parade at BAF Base Bashar Parade Ground in Dhaka Cantonment. He passed away on Thursday morning at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) at the age of 74 due to old-age complications.
Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Khondkar Misbah ul Azeem, and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan placed wreaths on the coffin to pay their final respects. Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director Kaizer Shohael Ahmed also offered tributes on behalf of the national carrier.
A flypast was conducted by the Bangladesh Air Force to honor the decorated veteran. Following the ceremonial parade, he was buried at Shaheen Graveyard located inside BAF Base Bashar.
Born on February 2, 1952, in Baishpur village of Matlab, Chandpur, Air Vice Marshal Rafiqul Islam completed his Senior Cambridge from PAF College Sargodha in 1967. He joined the PAF Academy in 1968 and earned his commission in the GD(P) branch on March 13, 1971. Driven by patriotism, he returned to join the Bangladesh Air Force on May 29, 1972.
During his distinguished career spanning 31 years and 25 days, he logged over 5,000 flying hours across multiple aircraft types. He held several pivotal command posts, including Commander of No. 3 Squadron, Commandant of BAF Academy, and Air Officer Commanding of BAF Base Matiur Rahman and BAF Base Bashar. He also served as Managing Director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Defense Attaché in Malaysia.
He assumed command as the Chief of Air Staff on June 3, 2001, serving until his retirement on April 8, 2002. He completed advanced courses in the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China, contributing significantly to the modernization of the air force.
 Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, was laid to rest with full military honors on Friday following his funeral parade at BAF Base Bashar Parade Ground in Dhaka Cantonment. He passed away on Thursday morning at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) at the age of 74 due to old-age complications.){kind=link}