On 15 August 1947, the day after the independence of Pakistan, the first provincial cabinet of East Bengal was sworn in at Curzon Hall in the provincial capital Dacca. The oath was administered by the provincial governor Frederick Chalmers Bourne to chief minister Khawaja Nazimuddin and two of his ministers.[1] On 11 September 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Governor-General of Pakistan, passed away.[2] On 14 September 1948, Nazimuddin became the new governor-general.[3] On the same day, Nurul Amin, East Bengal's minister of civil supplies, returned to the provincial capital from the federal capital Karachi. It was stated that, at the call of the provincial governor, he would form a new cabinet with members of the previous cabinet.[4] The following day, in respect of Jinnah's death, the new cabinet members were sworn in without any formal ceremony. This cabinet had eight members, and Amin served as the chief minister.[5]
Dissolution
The disclosed documents of the United States stated that during the Bengali Language Movement, following the killing of students by police firing on 21 February 1952, chief minister Amin wished to resign amid ensuing unrest. At that time, two provincial ministers discussed forming a new cabinet with A. K. Fazlul Huq, who was then a supporter of the PML. However, under pressure from a group of government officials led by Aziz Ahmed, Amin did not resign at that time. The officials believed that if Huq became the next chief minister, he would include leftists and supporters of United Bengal in his cabinet, potentially leading to the disintegration of the province.[6] In the first ever 1954 East Bengal Legislative Assembly election, held over four days from 8 to 12 March 1954, the United Front, the coalition of four parties, won 228 out of 309 seats.[7] On 14 March 1954, the term of the first East Bengal Legislative Assembly ended, and the cabinet was dissolved.[8] As a result, on 3 April 1954, the Third Huq ministry was formed under the leadership of A. K. Fazlul Huq, leader of the newly-founded Krishak Sramik Party (KSP), a constituent of the United Front.[9]
Members
The cabinet was composed of the following ministers:[5]
↑ "অদ্য হইতে পূর্ব্ববঙ্গে ৯২(ক) ধারা প্রবর্ত্তন". The Azad (in Bengali). 15 March 1954. p.1.
↑ "পূর্ববঙ্গে নূতন মন্ত্রিসভার কার্য্যভার গ্রহণ". The Azad (in Bengali). 4 April 1954. p.1.
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