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Sayem ministry

The Sayem ministry led what eventually became the first interim government in independent Bangladesh and an unofficial model for future interim regimes. It was formed on 8 November 1975,[1] following the assassination of Brig. Gen. Khaled Mosharraf on 7 November amid a nationwide soldier and public uprising against his 3 November coup d'état.[2][3] After a three-day coup with support of some high-ranking officers and his Dhaka Brigade,[4] Mosharraf had forced Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, who, following the 15 August coup that assassinated the founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,[5] replaced him as President of Bangladesh with support of the mid-ranking assassin officers, to resign.[6] Chief Justice Sayem, with the constitutional requirement for the direct election of the president and role of the vice-president as acting president suspended by Mostaq under a martial law proclamation,[7] had been installed in his place.[6][8] With Mosharraf's death the responsibility of CMLA (Chief Martial Law Administrator) fell on Sayem.[4]

Sayem ministry

Interim government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
26 November 1975–12 June 1978
Date formed8 November 1975
Date dissolved29 June 1978
People and organisations
PresidentAbu Sadat Mohammad Sayem
Ziaur Rahman (acting)
President's historyASM Sayem
Former Chief Justice of Bangladesh
(1972–75)
Ziaur Rahman
Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Army
(since 1975)
Chief Martial Law Administrator
(since 1976)
Vice-PresidentAbdus Sattar
No. of ministers21
Total no. of members31
Member partiesMilitary
Independent
Awami League
Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal
Status in legislatureDissolved
History
Election-
Outgoing election1978 (presidential)
PredecessorMostaq
SuccessorZia

Following the first-ever dissolution of the Jatiya Sangsad on 7 November,[9] the cabinet was initially set up as a military junta with the recently promoted armed forces chiefs, notably the chief of army staff autocratic hero Ziaur Rahman, who had been usurped and put under house arrest by Mosharraf during the coup,[2][10] as the CMLA's deputies.[4][8][10]

At Bangabhaban on 26 November 1975, the president administered oath to a newly formed council of advisers defacto headed by the junta. He promised a general election in February 1977 in a presidential speech addressed to the nation,[8] but in November 1976, with the country in a dire situation with no stability and security, indefinitely postponed it and relinquished his CMLA duty with Zia nominated to succeed.[4][9] 5 months later on 21 April 1977,[9][11] when Sayem retired on health grounds,[12] in the absence of a vice-president in office Zia decided to act as president. Forty days later he organised a nationwide presidential confidence referendum to legitimise his presidency.[9][10] In June, the President's special assistant Abdus Sattar was promoted to the office of vice-president and on 9 December, the council of advisers was reorganised with three dismissals and seven new appointments.[9]

After coming to power, Zia immediately moved to restore law and order in the country by strengthening the police force, practically doubling its size and arranging for their proper training, as well as order in the armed forces and withdrew the ban on the newspapers inaugurating the free flow of news by making the information media free and without government interference.[4][10] An ordinance allowing political parties to engage in open politics was promulgated reversing the ban imposed on them by Mujibur Rahman months prior to his assassination.[4][10] Zia organised his own party in February 1978 called the Jatiyotabadi Gonotantrik Dol ("Nationalist Democratic Party"), or JaGoDol for short, and in the presidential election – the first direct election – that year, his candidacy was supported by his and five other parties of the nationalist "Jatiyatabadi Front".[13] He achieved a landslide victory against his wartime superior, retired commander-in-chief MAG Osmani,[10] whose candidacy was supported by the then-dominant Awami League and five other parties of the socialist "Ganatantrik Oikkya Jote ("Alliance of Democratic Unity")".[13]

The cabinet was dissolved on 29 June 1978, once Zia formed his provisional Council of Ministers before the pending general election scheduled to be held next year.[1]

Background

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15 August 1975 coup d'état

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This section is an excerpt from 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état.[edit]
 
Grave of the victims at Banani Graveyard, Dhaka

The military coup in Bangladesh on August 15 of 1975 was launched by mid-ranking army officers in order to assassinate founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,[14][15] whose administration post-independence grew corrupt and reportedly authoritarian until he established a one-party state-based government led by the socialist party Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League.[16][17] Mujib, along with his resident family members, were killed during the coup but was survived by his two then-expat daughters, one of them being future prime minister Sheikh Hasina.[18][19] The officers were led by Capt. Abdul Majed, Maj. Sayed Farooq Rahman, Maj. Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Maj. Shariful Haque Dalim.[18]

Immediately following the coup, one of Mujib's close associates and cabinet ministers Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, with support of the officers, took control of the government and declared himself President of Bangladesh.[20] Under martial law, he made a proclamation on 20 August to amend the constitution to omit the provision for the legal basis for one-party system.[21] He reportedly praised the assassin officers, calling them "Children of the Sun", and proclaimed the Indemnity Ordinance, which granted them immunity from prosecution.[22][23]

3 November counter coup

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This section is an excerpt from 3 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état.[edit]

The 3 November coup d'état was organised by Brig. Khaled Mosharraf against President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad to remove him from the presidency and the assassins of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from power: Capt. Abdul Majed, Maj. Syed Faruque Rahman, Maj. Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Maj. Shariful Haque Dalim.[24] The coup resulted a return of Mujibist forces in Bangladeshi politics for a short time.

The coup was the result of a power struggle between the regime of Mostaq Ahmed and the mid-ranking officers backing him, Majed, Faruque, Rashid and Dalim,[24] and Mosharraf and the high-ranking officers supporting him, Col. Shafaat Jamil, Lt. Col. Abu Taher Mohammad Haider and Col. Khondkar Nazmul Huda. The high-ranking officers were worried about army discipline with "junior mutinous officers issuing orders from the presidential palace". With the coup, Mosharraf promoted himself to the rank of major general and the post of Chief of Army Staff after placing Maj. Gen. Ziaur Rahman under house arrest while the mid-ranking officers went on exile, as was agreed upon between the belligerents. The coup lasted 3 days, after which Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem was installed as president while Mosharraf served as the Chief Martial Law Administrator. The coup resulted the death of four national leaders of Bangladesh: Syed Nazrul Islam, former vice president and acting president of Bangladesh, Tajuddin Ahmad, former prime minister of Bangladesh, Muhammad Mansur Ali, former prime minister of Bangladesh, and Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman, former home minister of Bangladesh.

7 November revolution

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This section is an excerpt from National Revolution and Solidarity Day.[edit]
 
Soldiers being received by the public in 7 November 1975

National Revolution and Solidarity Day (Bengali: জাতীয় বিপ্লব ও সংহতি দিবস) is a commemorative and former public holiday celebrated in Bangladesh on November 7 to commemorate the 7 November 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état (Sipahi–Janata Revolution) by regular soldiers of Army and the common masses that showed solidarity with them.[25][26][27]

In the backdrop of the 15 August coup that resulted in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, it ended the 3 November coup to remove from power Mujib's replacement President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, organised by the pro-Mujib Brig. Gen. Khaled Mosharraf, who was assassinated in the aftermath.[25][28] Meanwhile, the soldiers proceeded to release Maj. Gen. Ziaur Rahman, who was put under house arrest at the inception of the coup by Mosharraf.[28][29] The uprising, though organised by Lt. Col. (retd.) Abu Taher and his clandestine revolutionary socialist group of soldier mutineers, the Biplobi Shainik Sangstha (BSS), to unsuccessfully create a socialist revolution, resulted Zia's ascension to the power.[30]

The day is marked to end the political turmoil and series of coups and counter-coups those occurred after the assassination of Mujibur Rahman, the founding President of Bangladesh, on 15 August 1975.[31][28]

Members

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The following lists the president(s), the vice-president(s) and the special assistant(s) to the president:[1]

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office
President, CMLA (until 1976) and also in-charge of꞉6 November 197521 April 1977
President (acting), CMLA and also in-charge of꞉
Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman
21 April 197712 June 1978
Special Assistant to the President (until 1977)
Vice-president (since 1977) and also in-charge of: 		27 November 197529 June 1978
Women's Affairs Assistant to the President (until 1977)
Women's Affairs Adviser to the President (since 1977)		13 April 197629 June 1978

List of advisers

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The following lists the advisers of the interim government:[1][32]

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office
Deputy CMLA (until 1976)
CMLA (since 1976) and also in-charge of Establishment Division
Adviser for꞉
Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman
8 November 197521 April 1977
Adviser for Communications8 November 19759 December 1977
Adviser for Power, Water Resources and Flood Control8 November 19759 December 1977
9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Education26 November 197522 June 1977
22 June 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Jute26 November 19755 August 1977
5 August 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Land Administration and Land Reform26 November 19759 December 1977
9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Public Works and Urban Development26 November 197529 June 1978
Adviser for Planning26 November 197529 June 1978
Adviser for Health and Population Control4 December 19758 December 1977
9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Relief and Rehabilitation4 December 197529 June 1978
Adviser for Industries23 January 197610 July 1977
10 July 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Manpower Development, Labour and Social Welfare18 June 19768 December 1977
9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Agriculture and Forest18 June 197629 June 1978
Adviser for Petroleum (and Mineral Resources since 1977)6 September 197612 July 1977
12 July 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Food6 September 197614 July 1977
14 July 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Civil Aviation and Tourism9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Information and Broadcasting18 September 197612 October 1977
12 October 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Commerce27 December 197629 June 1978
Adviser for Foreign Affairs25 March 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Textiles28 June 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Railways, Roads, Bridges and Road Transport9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Ports, Shipping and Inland Water Transport9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry9 December 197729 June 1978
Deputy Adviser for Home Affairs9 December 197729 June 1978
Deputy Adviser for Agriculture and Forest9 December 197729 June 1978
Adviser for Posts, Telegraph and Telephone30 December 197729 June 1978
Deputy Adviser for Health and Population Control13 April 197829 June 1978

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Deputy CMLA

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "১৯৭১ সাল থেকে ০৭-০১-২০১৯ গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রপতি, উপ-রাষ্ট্রপতি, প্রধানমন্ত্রী ও মন্ত্রিপরিষদের সদস্যবৃন্দ এবং নির্দলীয় তত্ত্বাবধায়ক সরকারের প্রধান উপদেষ্টা ও উপদেষ্টা পরিষদের সদস্যবৃন্দের দপ্তর বন্টনসহ নামের তালিকা।" (PDF). মন্ত্রিপরিষদ বিভাগ. Ministry Department, Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Jail killing: An attempt to cripple Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Khaled Mosharraf Killing: An Eyewitness Account". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Rahman, Shahid Ziaur". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  5. ^ Shaikh, Rukunuddin (30 April 2022). "Expectation vs Reality: A Dystopian Presentation of Bangladesh under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Neamat Imam's The Black Coat". The Creative Launcher. 7 (2): 108–114. doi:10.53032/tcl.2022.7.2.14. ISSN 2455-6580.
  6. ^ a b Borders, William (6 November 1975). "President of Bangladesh Resigns, Nearly 3 Months After Coup, in Confrontation With Military Officers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 August 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
  7. ^ Bari, M. Ershadul (1989). "The imposition of martial law in Bangladesh, 1975: a legal study". Dhaka University Law Journal. 1 (1): 69.
  8. ^ a b c "When Caesar died . . . and with him all the tribunes". The Daily Star. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  9. ^ a b c d e Preston, Ian (2005) [First published 2001]. A Political Chronology of Central, South and East Asia. Europa Publications. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-85743-114-8.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Ziaur Rahman: From sector commander to president". 30 May 2009.
  11. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Sayem, Justice Abusadat Mohammad". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  12. ^ "April 22, 1977, Forty Years Ago". The Indian Express. 2017-04-22. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  13. ^ a b M. A. Singammal (1979) "1978 presidential election in Bangla Desh", The Indian Journal of Political Science, volume 40, number 1, pp97–110
  14. ^ "Mu jib Reported Overthrown and Killed in a Coup by the Bangladesh Military". The New York Times. 15 August 1975.
  15. ^ "Bangladesh Coup: A Day of Killings". The New York Times. 23 August 1975.
  16. ^ "SHEIK MUJIB GETS TOTAL AUTHORITY OVER BANGLADESH". The New York Times. 26 January 1975. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  17. ^ Maniruzzaman, Talukder (1975). "Bangladesh: An Unfinished Revolution?". The Journal of Asian Studies. 34 (4). Cambridge University Press: 891–911. doi:10.2307/2054506. ISSN 0021-9118. JSTOR 2054506. S2CID 154434833.
  18. ^ a b Mannan, Abdul (15 August 2022). "Bangabandhu's assassination: The enemy within". The Daily Star.
  19. ^ "Aug 15 in world media". The Daily Star. 2009-11-19. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  20. ^ "Muhammad Ali in Bangladesh: 35 Years Ago The Champ Visited A New Nation In Turmoil". International Business Times. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  21. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Proclamation". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  22. ^ Tripathi, Salil. "Of course, we killed him ... he had to go". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  23. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Ahmad, Khondakar Mostaq". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Shame darker than the night". The Daily Star. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  25. ^ a b Chowdhury, R. (1 November 2019). "Bangladesh: National Revolution and Solidarity Day, its Significance and its Precursor (With inside stories)". South Asia Journal (30). Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  26. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Taher, Colonel Abu". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  27. ^ "Bangladesh Observes National Revolution and Solidarity Day". VoA (in Bengali). 7 November 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  28. ^ a b c "The shadow of November 7, 1975". The Daily Star. 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  29. ^ "Taher's execution was murder in cold blood". The Daily Star. 2010-11-07. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  30. ^ "When Gen Zia betrayed Col Taher". The Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  31. ^ ""BNP to hold rally in Dhaka tomorrow marking 7 Nov". The Business Standard. 7 November 2024.
  32. ^ Rahman, Syedur (2010-04-27). Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Scarecrow Press. pp. 310–8. ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4.
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