Dr. Saleem Ahmed Khan

Brigadier General Saleem Ahmad Khan was commissioned in the Bangladesh Army in 1986 and retired in 2021. He has wide range of experience in the military including international peacekeeping experience with the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone and United Nations Mission in Sudan. He participated in Contingent Owned Equipment Working Group (COE) 2004 meeting held in the UNHQ as a representative of Bangladesh and COE Working Group 2014 meeting as a Vice Chairman. He led a good number of projects related to socio-economic development and ICT at home and abroad. 

General Saleem initiated, planned, organized and implemented good number of projects-related to socio-economic development in Sudan from 2009-10. The projects are: Health sector (Child Survival Initiative programme, Renovation and providing equipment to an eye clinic: a joint project of UN, WHO, Ministry of Health at the federal and state level, and private sector); Energy sector (Solar power systems for the hospital, the secretariat of social services and schools: a joint project of UN, Ministry of Science and Technology, and private sector); Sports sector (Sports for peace: a joint project of UN, Sudan Football Association, and private sector); Education sector (providing seating support in an IDP school and construction of ten schools for providing non-formal education: joint projects of UN, BRAC, UNICEF, local community, and Ministry of Education); Agricultural sector (providing a tractor to farmers for mechanical ploughing: a joint project of UN, BRAC, FAO, Ministry of Agriculture, and local community).

He facilitated the UN Integrated Mission Staff Officers’ Course, conducted by Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, Ottawa, Canada in 2010 and enlisted as Community of Expert. From 2012 to 2019, he was a facilitator in a seminar on UN Peace Operations organised by Canadian Defence Academy in Uruguay, Indonesia and the US. He is a member of the Academic Community of the UN Systems (ACUNS). He presented a paper on “The UN peace operations and Civil-Military Coordination in Bottom-Up Approach to State-Building” during the 26th session of International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centre. His other keynote sessions are related to cyber security, cyber safe smart city, Civil-Military Coordination in Conflict Resolution: The United Nations Missions Perspective, From Radio to Smartphone: Warfare in the Information Age, The Roots of African Conflict and The United Nations’ Involvement, The 1971 People’s War of Bangladesh: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Subalterns’ Perspective, Birth of Bangladesh through revolution and liberation struggle: Leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Challenges of Peace Operations: Bangladesh Perspective, Bangladesh in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, The history of UN peace operations in Africa: The emergence of Civil-Military Coordination in state-building.

Saleem obtained his PhD from the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada as a full-time student. His dissertation was “The History of United Nations Peace Operations in Africa: The Emergence of Civil-Military Coordination in National-Level State-Building”. He completed Masters in Philosophy, Masters in Defence Studies, Masters in War Studies, and Masters in Security and Development Studies. He has supervised a good number of thesis papers at the graduate level programs. Saleem did Bachelor of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India and became a telecom engineer. His ICT-related qualifications include Accredited Tier Designer of Uptime Institute, Certified Information System Auditor, and Certified Information Technology Manager.

General Saleem served as the Director Overseas Operations and Director Information Technology at the Army Headquarters of Bangladesh Army. He was a faculty member in the Armed Forces War Course of National Defence College and served as an instructor in Signal Training Centre and School and Bangladesh Military Academy. He served as the Dean of Faculty of Technical and Engineering Studies in Bangladesh University of Professionals. He established Trust Innovation Ltd, an ICT outfit of Bangladesh Army under Army Welfare Trust and became the Founder MD.

  Dr. Saleem authored number of books and articles. His book project on “Civil-Military Coordination in UN peace operations and bottom-up approach of state-building” is now under process of publication by the Routledge. His published books include “Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: A Study of the World Leaders and the UN operations in Bangladesh [1971-73]”, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: A Study of the World Leaders and the UN operations in Bangladesh [1971-73], and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: Sports Events [1971-73].

Dr. Saleem is married to Dr. Nawshin Shabnam, who is a pediatrician, and they are proud parents of two daughters: Saiha Nawar Khan and Manha Surur Khan.