Sitara Begum

Dr. Captain Sitara Begum is a Bangladeshi doctor, Army officer, and War hero. She is one of two women in Bangladesh who has received Bir Protik award. She played a magnificent role in Sector 2 during Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.^[1][2]

Sitara Begum
Begum in 2009
Personal details
Born	(1946-09-05) 5 September 1946 (age 79) Mymensingh District, Bengal Province, British India (present-day Kishoreganj District, Bangladesh)
Citizenship	British subject (1946–1947) Pakistan (1947–1971) Bangladesh (1971–present)
Relations	Abu Taher Mohammad Haider (brother)
Residence(s)	Michigan, United States
Awards	Bir Pratik
Military service
Allegiance	Pakistan (1970–1971)  Bangladesh (1971–1973)
Branch/service	Pakistan Army Mukti Bahini  Bangladesh Army
Years of service	1970–1973
Rank	Captain
Unit	Pakistan Army Medical Corps
Battles/wars	Bangladesh Liberation War

Early life

Begum was born in Kishoreganj in 1946.^[3] Her father, Israil Mian, was a lawyer. She graduated from the Holy Cross College, Dhaka. She completed her MBBS from Dhaka Medical College. She has two sisters and a brother, Major Abu Taher Mohammad Haider.^[2]

Career

Begum was commissioned in the Medical Corps of the Pakistan Army in 1970 as a lieutenant. She was stationed in Comilla Cantonment along with her brother. After the start of Bangladesh Liberation war, she and her parents moved from Kishorganj to Meghalaya with the aid of Mukti Bahini members.

Captain Dr. Sitara was the Commanding Officer of the hospital known as the Bangladesh Field Hospital, with almost 400 beds under Sector 2 in 1971. The hospital catered to Bengali patients, wounded freedom fighters, and also members of the Indian army who sought medical aid at the centre.

She returned to Dhaka after the independence of Bangladesh.^[2][4]

Begum left Bangladesh after her brother was killed in the 7 November 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état and settled in the United States.^[2]

See also

• Women in the Bangladesh Army