# 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, 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. After a three-day coup with support of some high-ranking officers and his Dhaka Brigade, Mosharraf had forced Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, who, following the 15 August coup that assassinated the founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, replaced him as President of Bangladesh with support of the mid-ranking assassin officers, to resign. 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, had been installed in his place. With Mosharraf's death, the responsibility of CMLA (Chief Martial Law Administrator) fell on Sayem.
Following the first-ever dissolution of the Jatiya Sangsad on 7 November, the cabinet was initially set up as a military junta with the recently promoted armed forces chiefs, notably the chief of army staff Ziaur Rahman, who had been usurped and put under house arrest by Mosharraf during the coup, as the CMLA's deputies.
At Bangabhaban on 26 November 1975, the president administered oath to a newly formed council of advisers de facto headed by the junta. He promised a general election in February 1977 in a presidential speech addressed to the nation, 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. 5 months later on 21 April 1977, when Sayem retired on health grounds, 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. 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.
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. 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. 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". He achieved a landslide victory against his wartime superior, retired commander-in-chief MAG Osmani, whose candidacy was supported by the then-dominant Awami League and five other parties of the socialist "Ganatantrik Oikkya Jote ("Alliance of Democratic Unity")".
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.

## Background
### 15 August 1975 coup d'état

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, 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. 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. The officers were led by Capt. Abdul Majed, Maj. Sayed Farooq Rahman, Maj. Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Maj. Shariful Haque Dalim.

### 3 November counter coup

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. The coup resulted a return of Mujibist forces in Bangladeshi politics for a short time.

### 7 November revolution

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.
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. Meanwhile, the soldiers proceeded to release Maj. Gen. Ziaur Rahman, who was put under house arrest at the inception of the coup by Mosharraf. 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.

## Members

The following lists the president(s), the vice-president(s) and the special assistant(s) to the president:
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office |
| President, CMLA (until 1976) and also in-charge of꞉Presidential Secretariat (Presidential Division)Cabinet Secretariat (Cabinet Division, O&M Division)Ministry of Defence | A. S. M. Sayem | 6 November 1975 | 21 April 1977 |
| President (acting), CMLA and also in-charge of꞉Presidential Secretariat (Presidential Division)Cabinet Secretariat (Cabinet Division, Establishment Division)Ministry of DefenceMinistry of FinanceMinistry of Home Affairs | Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman | 21 April 1977 | 12 June 1978 |
| Special Assistant to the President (until 1977) Vice-president (since 1977) and also in-charge of: Parliament SecretariatMinistry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs | Abdus Sattar | 27 November 1975 | 29 June 1978 |
| Women's Affairs Assistant to the President (until 1977) Women's Affairs Adviser to the President (since 1977) | Begum Feroza Bari | 13 April 1976 | 29 June 1978 |

### List of advisers

The following lists the advisers of the interim government:
| Portfolio | Minister | Took office | Left office |
| Deputy CMLA (until 1976) CMLA (since 1976) and also in-charge of Establishment Division Adviser for꞉FinanceHome Affairs | Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman | 8 November 1975 | 21 April 1977 |
| Adviser for Communications | R.ADM. M. H. Khan | 8 November 1975 | 9 December 1977 |
| Adviser for Power, Water Resources and Flood Control | R.ADM. M. H. Khan | 8 November 1975 | 9 December 1977 |
| Adviser for Power, Water Resources and Flood Control | B. M. Abbas | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Education | Abul Fazal | 26 November 1975 | 22 June 1977 |
| Adviser for Education | Syed Ali Ahsan | 22 June 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Jute | Kazi Anwarul Haque | 26 November 1975 | 5 August 1977 |
| Adviser for Jute | S. M. Shafiul Azam | 5 August 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Land Administration and Land Reform | Kazi Anwarul Haque | 26 November 1975 | 9 December 1977 |
| Adviser for Land Administration and Land Reform | A. Z. M. Enayetullah Khan | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives | Kazi Anwarul Haque | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Public Works and Urban Development | M. A. Rashid | 26 November 1975 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Planning | Mirza Nurul Huda | 26 November 1975 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Health and Population Control | Muhammad Ibrahim | 4 December 1975 | 8 December 1977 |
| Adviser for Health and Population Control | A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Relief and Rehabilitation | Benita Roy | 4 December 1975 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Industries | A. K. M. Hafizuddin | 23 January 1976 | 10 July 1977 |
| Adviser for Industries | Jamal Uddin Ahmad | 10 July 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Manpower Development, Labour and Social Welfare | M. Masudul Haque | 18 June 1976 | 8 December 1977 |
| Adviser for Manpower Development, Labour and Social Welfare | Zakaria Khan Chowdhury | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Agriculture and Forest | A. K. M. Azizul Haque | 18 June 1976 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Petroleum (and Mineral Resources since 1977) | A.V.M. A. G. Mahmud | 6 September 1976 | 12 July 1977 |
| Adviser for Petroleum (and Mineral Resources since 1977) | Ashfaque Hossain Khan | 12 July 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Food | A.V.M. A. G. Mahmud | 6 September 1976 | 14 July 1977 |
| Adviser for Food | Abdul Momen Khan | 14 July 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Civil Aviation and Tourism | A. G. Mahmud | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Information and Broadcasting | Akbar Kabir | 18 September 1976 | 12 October 1977 |
| Adviser for Information and Broadcasting | Shamsul Huda Chaudhury | 12 October 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Commerce | M. Saifur Rahman | 27 December 1976 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Foreign Affairs | Muhammad Shamsul Huq | 25 March 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Textiles | Muzaffar Ahmed | 28 June 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Railways, Roads, Bridges and Road Transport | Maj. Gen. M. Majid-ul-Haque | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Ports, Shipping and Inland Water Transport | Nurul Huq | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry | M. R. Khan | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Deputy Adviser for Home Affairs | A. S. M. Mustafizur Rahman | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Deputy Adviser for Agriculture and Forest | Fasihuddin Mahtab | 9 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Adviser for Posts, Telegraph and Telephone | Moudud Ahmed | 30 December 1977 | 29 June 1978 |
| Deputy Adviser for Health and Population Control | M. A. Matin | 13 April 1978 | 29 June 1978 |