Ershad ministry

Ershad ministry
9th Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Bangladesh
24 March 1982 — 6 December 1990
President Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Date formed	11 December 1983
Date dissolved	6 December 1990
People and organisations
President	Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Member party	Jatiya Party (Ershad)
Status in legislature	Single-party majority 153 / 330 (46%) (1986) 251 / 330 (76%) (1988)
Opposition party	Awami League
Opposition leader	Sheikh Hasina
History
Elections	1985 (referendum) 1986 (presidential) 1986 (parliamentary) 1988 (parliamentary)
Outgoing election	1991 (parliamentary)
Legislature terms	3rd and 4th Jatiya Sangsad
Predecessor	Sattar
Successor	Shahabuddin

The Hussain Muhammad Ershad ministry was the Council of Ministers of Bangladesh during the presidency of Hussain Muhammad Ershad, serving during the 3rd and 4th legislative sessions of the Jatiya Sangsad. It was initially formed with members of a provisional council of ministers after Ershad seized power through a military coup on 24 March 1982, replacing the elected government of Abdus Sattar. ^[1]

On 11 December 1983, Ershad removed President A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury and assumed the presidency himself, further solidifying his control. Following the restoration of parliamentary governance after the 1986 general election, a new council of ministers was formed on 10 July 1986 with members elected to the 3rd Jatiya Sangsad. The ministry oversaw key policy changes, including administrative decentralization and economic reforms under Ershad’s military-backed rule.

The ministry remained in power until Ershad was forced to resign amid a mass uprising on 6 December 1990. After his resignation, a transitional government led by Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed was formed to oversee new elections.

Background

On 24 March 1982, Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad, then Chief of Army Staff, led a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Abdus Sattar, citing concerns over governmental corruption and inefficiency. Ershad declared martial law, suspended the constitution, and assumed the role of Chief Martial Law Administrator. He appointed Justice A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as the ceremonial president while consolidating power behind the scenes. ^[2]

On 11 December 1983, Ershad deposed President Chowdhury and assumed the presidency himself, further entrenching his authority. To legitimize his rule, he formed the Jatiya Party on 1 January 1986 and lifted the ban on political activities. Subsequently, parliamentary elections were held on 7 May 1986, in which the Jatiya Party secured a majority, leading to the formation of Ershad's civilian government.

During his tenure, Ershad implemented administrative reforms, including the introduction of the Upazila and Zila Parishad system to decentralize governance. He also declared Islam as the state religion through a constitutional amendment, a move that marked a departure from the nation's secular foundation.

Ershad's rule faced increasing opposition from major political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League, leading to mass protests demanding the resignation of his administration. Amidst escalating civil unrest and political pressure, Ershad resigned on 6 December 1990, handing over power to a caretaker government led by Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, paving the way for new parliamentary elections and the end of his regime. ^[3]

Members

The following lists the president(s), the vice-president(s) and the special assistant(s) to the president: ^[2]

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office
President, CMLA (until 1986) and also in-charge of꞉ Presidential Secretariat (Presidential Division, General and Economic Affairs, Information Division) Cabinet Secretariat (Cabinet Division) Ministry of Defence Ministry of Science and Technology	Hussain Muhammad Ershad	24 March 1982	9 December 1990 (resigned)
Vice-president and also in-charge of Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs	A. K. M. Nurul Islam	30 November 1986	September 1989
	Moudud Ahmed	September 1989	9 December 1990
Military Secretary to the President	A. B. M. Elias	27 March 1982	9 December 1990

Cabinet ministers

Provisional council

No.	Name	Term start	Term end	Office
1	Ataur Rahman Khan	30 March 1984	1 January 1985	Prime Minister of Bangladesh
	Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury	9 July 1986	27 March 1988
	Moudud Ahmed	27 March 1988	12 August 1989
	Kazi Zafar Ahmed	12 August 1989	6 December 1990
2	Moudud Ahmed	9 July 1986	27 March 1988	Deputy Prime Minister of Bangladesh
	Kazi Zafar Ahmed	9 July 1986	10 August 1987
	M.A. Matin	9 July 1986	13 August 1989
	Kazi Zafar Ahmed	27 March 1988	12 August 1989
	Shah Moazzem Hossain	20 November 1987	6 December 1990

Elected council

No.	Name	Term start	Term end	Office
1	A R Shamsud Doha	24 March 1982	June 1984	Minister of Foreign Affairs
	Humayun Rashid Choudhury	June 1984	July 1985
	Anisul Islam Mahmud	July 1985	6 December 1990
2	Mohabbat Jan Chowdhury	1986	1988	Minister of Food
	Sardar Amjad Hossain	1988	1990
3	Mohabbat Jan Chowdhury	1986	1990	Minister of Establishment
4	Mohabbat Jan Chowdhury	17 July 1982	19 July 1983	Minister of Home Affairs
	Abdul Mannan Siddique	19 July 1983	17 February 1986
	Mahmudul Hasan	17 February 1986	1 December 1986
	Mohammed Abdul Matin	1 December 1986	21 March 1989
	Mahmudul Hasan	21 March 1989	6 December 1990
5	Abul Maal Abdul Muhith	27 March 1982	31 January 1984	Minister of Finance
	Hussain Muhammad Ershad	2 February 1984	27 March 1987
	M Syeduzzaman	March 1987	January 1988
	Wahidul Haq	January 1988	May 1988
	Mohammad Abdul Munim	May 1988	September 1988
	Wahidul Haq	September 1988	May 1990
	Mohammad Abdul Munim	May 1990	December 1990
6	Momen Uddin Ahmed	18 February 1986	9 July 1986	Minister of Power, Flood control, & Water resources
7	Mizanur Rahman Shelley		1990	Minister of Information and Broadcasting
8	Mamdudur Rahman Chowdhury	1986	1990	Minister of Ports and Shipping
9	AKM Maidul Islam	27 November 1981 [a]	18 January 1985	Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism
	AR Yusuf	19 January 1985	11 October 1985
	Shafiqul Ghani Swapan	12 October 1985	29 November 1986 [b]
	Abdus Sattar	30 November 1986	9 December 1988 [c]
	Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu	10 December 1988	18 July 1989 [d]
	H. M. A. Gaffar	19 July 1989	9 October 1990
10	Mahbub Ali Khan	27 March 1982	1 June 1984	Minister of Railway, Roads, and Highway
	Abu Zafar Obaidullah	2 June 1984	25 October 1984
	Sultan Ahmed	26 October 1984	5 August 1985
	Moudud Ahmed	6 August 1985	24 March 1986
	Sultan Ahmed	25 March 1986	25 May 1986
	Moudud Ahmed	26 May 1986	9 August 1986
	Mohammed Abdul Matin	10 August 1986	30 November 1986
	M. Matiur Rahman	31 November 1986	27 March 1988
	Anwar Hossain Manju	28 March 1988	6 December 1990
11	M. A. Sattar	July 1985	April 1986	Minister of Jute
12	Mahbubur Rahman	7 January 1984	20 June 1987	Minister of Religious Affairs
	Nurul Islam	21 June 1987	26 March 1990
	Abdul Mannan	1 August 1986	28 August 1988
	Muhammad Wakkas	1 August 1986	28 August 1988
13	Abul Maal Abdul Muhith	27 March 1982	31 January 1984	Minister of Planning
	Hussain Muhammad Ershad	1 February 1984	27 March 1987
	M. Syeduzzaman	28 March 1987	January 1988
14	Shafiqul Ghani Swapan	8 March 1984	15 January 1985	Minister of Youth Development
15	Mohabbat Jan Chowdhury	1986	1988	Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation
16	Anwar Zahid	1986	1988	Minister of Information, Relief, and Labour and Manpower
	Mohammad Khaledur Rahman Tito	1988	9 December 1990
17	Sultan Mahmud	1 June 1986	9 December 1990	Minister of Industries
18	Abdul Majid Khan	11 December 1983	1 June 1984	Minister of Education
	Shamsul Huda Chaudhury	2 June 1984 [e]	16 February 1986 [f]
	Mohammed Abdul Matin	17 February 1986	23 March 1986
	A. K. M. Nurul Islam	24 March 1986	25 May 1986
	Mohammed Abdul Matin	26 May 1986	9 July 1986
	Momen Uddin Ahmed	9 July 1986	30 November 1986
	Mahbubur Rahman	31 November 1986	27 March 1988
	Anisul Islam Mahmud	28 March 1988	10 December 1988
	Sheikh Shahidul Islam	11 December 1988	2 May 1990
	Kazi Zafar Ahmed	3 May 1990	9 December 1990
19	Shah Azizur Rahman	1982	1982	Minister of Law and Justice
	Khandaker Abu Bakr	1982	1984
	Ataur Rahman Khan	1984	1985
	AR Yusuf	19 January 1985	17 February 1985
	A. K. M. Nurul Islam	18 February 1985	12 August 1989
	Moudud Ahmed	1989	1990
	Habibul Islam Bhuiyan	2 May 1990	6 December 1990

Advisers

Portfolio	Minister	Took office	Left office
Adviser for Foreign Affairs	A.K. Khandker	1982	1986
Adviser for Home Affairs	Mahmudul Hasan	1982	1986
Adviser for Agriculture	Abdul Monem	1983	1986
Adviser for Education	A.M.M. Abdul Ali	1984	1990
Adviser for Planning	M. Syeduzzaman	1982	1984

References

1. Preston, Ian (2001). A Political Chronology of Central, South and East Asia. Psychology Press. p. 19. ISBN   978-1-85743-114-8.
2. "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. Cabinet Division, Government of Bangladesh . Retrieved 9 February 2025.
3. Associated Press (15 July 2019). "H.M. Ershad, Former President of Bangladesh, Is Dead at 89". The New York Times . Retrieved 9 February 2025.

Notes

1. served continuously from the Zia administration
2. served as Minister of State till 23 October 1986
3. served as Minister of State till 27 March 1988
4. served as Minister of State till 20 June 1989
5. until 15 January 1985
6. reappointed on 4 August 1985