Read the profiles of the interim government advisors

In addition to Dr Yunus’s chief advisor, the government has 16 advisors

The new caretaker government of Bangladesh, headed by his chief advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at the Bangabhaban this evening (8 August).

In addition to Dr. Yunus, the government has 16 advisors. Read their full profiles below:

Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, former governor of Bangladesh Bank

Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed joined as Governor of Bangladesh Bank on May 2, 2005 and completed his four-year term on April 30, 2009. He has served in various capacities in the administration of the Government of Bangladesh. Salehuddin was the Managing Director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), a leading funding agency for microcredit operations in Bangladesh.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from McMaster University, Canada in 1978. He started his career with a short stint in the Planning Department of the Government of East Pakistan and later joined the University of Dhaka as a teacher of Economics. He also served as the Director General of Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) Cumilla and the Director General of NGO Affairs Bureau in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Professor Asif Nazrul, Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka

Dr. Asif Nazrul is a Professor of Law at the University of Dhaka. He completed his BA in 1986 and postgraduate studies in 1987 from the same faculty. He obtained his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, in 1999. He later received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Environmental Law Center, Bonn, Germany.
He also served as a Commonwealth Fellow at SOAS. Born on 12 January 1966, Asif Nazrul is known for his bold political analyses on television talk shows and newspaper columns. He is the author of over 10 books. Before joining Dhaka University as a faculty member, Asif Nazrul worked for the weekly Bichitra in 1991.

Adilur Rahman Khan, secretary of Odhikar

Adilur Rahman Khan Shubho is a Supreme Court lawyer and secretary of the human rights organisation Odhikar. During the last BNP-Jamaat coalition government, he served as Deputy Attorney General and continued to do so during the One-Eleven period of the military-backed caretaker government. After the Awami League formed the government after the 2008 elections, he resigned from his position.

In 2013, a case was filed against him under the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Act, accusing him of publishing a “false” report through Odhikar about the number of casualties during a law enforcement crackdown on the Hefazat-e-Islam movement. He was convicted in the case and later released on bail last year. Adilur Rahman Khan studied law at the University of Dhaka.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, environmental activist

Syeda Rizwana Hasan is a Supreme Court lawyer and environmental activist who serves as the Director General of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA). She gained prominence for filing various environmental cases in the Supreme Court.

Rizwana Hasan has received several prestigious awards for her work, including the Environmental Award from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government of Bangladesh, and the Goldman Environmental Prize, making her the first Bangladeshi to receive this distinction. In 2009, she was named one of Time magazine’s “Heroes of the Environment.” In addition, in 2012, she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Born in 1968, Rizwana Hasan completed her SSC from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College and HSC from Holy Cross College. She initially enrolled in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Dhaka but later switched to the Faculty of Law.

Nurjahan Begum, Managing Director of Grameen Shikkha

Nurjahan Begum served as acting managing director of Grameen Bank after Muhammad Yunus was removed from his position by Bangladesh Bank. She is currently managing director of Grameen Shikkha, a non-profit organization owned by the Grameen family. She was previously appointed chairwoman of Grameen Distribution in 2010.

Nurjahan Begum was one of Professor Yunus’ key collaborators when the Grameen Bank project started in 1976. At that time she was a student at the University of Chittagong. She played a significant role in organizing and training poor rural women in the grassroots groups of Grameen Bank. She was also the first director of the Grameen Bank Training Institute. She also serves on the boards of several organizations including the Grameen Foundation, USA. Nurjahan Begum has been recognized with various awards and honors for her contributions.

Md Nahid Islam, Student

Md Nahid Islam, a resident of Dhaka, is a master’s student in sociology at the University of Dhaka.

He is a key leader of the Students’ Anti-Discrimination Movement that ultimately led to the overthrow of the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina. He is also the general secretary of the student organization Chhatra Shakti at the University of Dhaka.

Nahid, 26, was born in 1998. He studied at the Government Science College in Dhaka. His father is a teacher and his mother is a housewife. Nahid is married and has a younger brother.

Asif Mahmud, Student

Asif Mahmud, 26, from Muradnagar, Cumilla, is a Masters student in Linguistics at the University of Dhaka. Asif is one of the main coordinators of the Students Anti-Discrimination Movement.

He attended Nakhalpara Hossain Ali High School and passed his SSC examination in 2015. He passed his HSC examination from Adamjee Cantonment College in 2017. He was a cadet sergeant in the BNCC platoon of the college.

He was also the president of Chattra Odhikhar Parishad in DU.

M. Sakhawat Hussain

Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hussain is a former Election Commissioner of Bangladesh. Sakhawat is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College. He holds a Masters in Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan.

He obtained his Master of Philosophy (MPhil) from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) on “Electoral Reform in Bangladesh from 1972 to 2008” and his Ph.D. from the same university for a thesis titled “Electoral Governance: Role of Election Management Body and Other Stakeholders in the Context of Bangladesh”.

Sakhawat was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1966 from the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. He joined the Bangladesh Army in 1972 after the country gained independence.

Farida Akhtar

Farida Akhtar is a writer, researcher and activist. She was born in Harla village under Chandanaish upazila in Chattogram. She studied economics at the University of Chattogram.

For nearly three decades, she has been actively involved in issues related to women’s development, health, agriculture, fisheries, handloom industry, garment industry, and workers, population and development initiatives.

Currently, Farida serves as the Executive Director of UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternatives).

Her published books include Nari O Gachh and Kaijuri Gramer Nari O Gachher Katha.

Supradip Chakma

Supradip Chakma from Khagrachhari is the chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board.

Supradip previously served as Bangladesh’s ambassador to Vietnam and Mexico and as a government secretary. He was a student of the marketing department at the University of Dhaka.

As a member of the BCS 1985 overseas cadre, he also served in various capacities at the Bangladesh Embassy in Rabat, the Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo, the Bangladesh Embassy in Brussels and the Bangladesh Embassy in Ankara.

AF Hassan Ariff

AF Hassan Ariff is a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court and has been practicing since 1970. He was admitted to the Roll of Advocates of the High Court, Calcutta, West Bengal, India, in 1967.

He is the principal of the law firm AF Hassan Ariff & Associates.

Ariff served as Attorney General of Bangladesh from October 2001 to April 2005. He was Legal Advisor to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh from January 2008 to January 2009. He is a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre and the SAARC Arbitration Council. In addition, he is a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

Md Touhid Hossain

Md Touhid Hossain is a former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh. He was born in 1955 and graduated in History from the University of Dhaka. He joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1981.

Touhid served as Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata from 2001 to 2005. From 17 December 2006 to 8 July 2009, he was Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

From July 2009 to July 2012, Touhid served as Director of the Foreign Service Academy. In June 2012, he was appointed High Commissioner of Bangladesh to South Africa.

Bidhan Ranjan Roy

Bidhan Ranjan Roy is a psychologist from Mymensingh. He was the Director and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital.

Bidhan attended Government Jubilee High School, Sunamganj and passed HSC from Dhaka College. He did his MBBS from Sir Salimullah Medical College, Dhaka. He was a former professor of psychiatry at Mymensingh Medical College.

AFM Khalid Hossain

AFM Khalid Hossain was a former nayeb-e-ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, educational advisor of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, editor of the monthly magazine At-Tawhid and a guest lecturer at the Department of Quranic Sciences and Islamic Studies at the International Islamic University, Chattogram.

In 1971, he passed Alim examinations with distinction from Satkania Alia Mahmudul Ulum Madrasa and completed Fazil studies in 1973. He passed Kamil examination from Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board in 1975. In 1983, he obtained Master’s degree in the same subject.

In 1987, he joined Satkania Alia Mahmudul Ulum Fazil Madrasa as a lecturer in Arabic Language and Literature. From 1992 to January 2019, he was a professor and head of the Department of Islamic History and Culture at Omar Gani MES College, Chattogram.

On November 15, 2020, he was appointed as the Naib-e-Amer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh and on January 2, 2021, he was elected as the Education Advisor of Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

Sharmeen Murshid

Sharmeen Murshid, CEO of the NGO and local election observer group Brotee, has long been an active campaigner for voting rights and freedom of speech.