Major General K M Shafiullah (Bir Uttam) was the 2nd Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, he was the Second in Command of Second East Bengal Regiment that revolted with six officers on the night of March 25, 1971. He was also the Brigade commander of S-force of the Bangladesh Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He served prior to the appointment of Ziaur Rahman at the post of chief of army staff in 1975. He was preceded by Lt. Colonel M. A. Rab during 1971 until 1972.
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Major A K M Shafiullah was the Sector Commander of Bangladesh Forces Sector 3. His sector was mainly the opposite of Sylhet. The sector's areas were Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet and parts of Comilla (present Brahmanbaria district). Later three brigades were formed. The last one of the three was named behind its commander's name initial. Thus S Force bears his last name. His formation was fully structured and formalised by the end of September. As of September ’71, Commander of Sector 3 was assigned to Major A.N.M Nuruzzaman. Major Shafiullah was selected and allowed to witness the Pakistan surrender on 16 December 1971 at Race Course in Dhaka.
After the end of the war in December 1971, Bangladesh government for his bravery and dedication awarded him the Bir Uttam, the second highest military award in Bangladesh. He was assigned as the Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army by the Awami League government.[1] He remained the Bangladesh army chief throughout Shiekh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League and BAKSAL government's highly controversial term till the military coup of August 15, 1975. After his dismissal from service by the following Mushtaq government, he was not active in politics. He immediately accepted an ambassadorial post overseas alongwith fellow BAF chief of air staff A.K. Khandker. He did not receive a nomination as a Awami League endorsed candidate for a parliamentary seat in subsequent parliamentary elections.