Lieutenant General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq has been appointed the new chief of the Bangladesh Army.
The Ministry of Defence issued a gazette notification on the appointment of the new army chief on Wednesday.
He has been acting as Principal Staff Officer, Prime Minister’s Office, Armed Forces Division, Dhaka, since January 1, 2013.
Prior to assuming this position he had been serving as Commandant, Defence Services Command and Staff College, Dhaka.
Shafiul Huq will replace General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan as he retires on June 25.
Born in December 1958, Lieutenant General Belal was commissioned in Armoured Corps on June 18, 1978 from Bangladesh Military Academy.
For his outstanding performance in the Military Academy, he was adjudged as the best all round cadet of his batch and awarded with “Sword of Honour.”
Belal obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Dhaka University and Master Degree on Defense Studies from National University, Bangladesh.
Lieutenant General Belal was a member of the pioneer Group of Officers sent to UN Peacekeeping Mission from Bangladesh.
He was an observer in UNIIMOG (Iraq) in 1988-89 and Deputy Force Commander of UNMEE (Ethiopia and Eritrea) in 2006-2007.
He is a keen golfer. He is happily married to Shoma Huq and the couple is blessed with a daughter and a son.