The interim government, headed by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, comprises human rights activists, university professors, lawyers, former diplomats, an ex-election commissioner, and an election observer.

Notably, it also includes two 26-year-old student protesters who played a leading role in the recent movement that led to Sheikh Hasina's resignation and departure.

Here are a brief introduction to all the members.

Dr Asif Nazrul

Asif Nazrul is a faculty member in the law department at the University of Dhaka. Born Md Nazrul Islam in 1966, he earned his LLB (Honours) and LLM from the University of Dhaka, and completed his PhD in International Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies in 1999.

Before joining Dhaka University in 1991, he worked with Bichitra, a prominent newsweekly of the time, and also served briefly as a government officer (Magistrate).

Nazrul is a well-known columnist and human rights advocate. He has co-authored several books and published research papers on constitutional and international legal issues in leading journals and books.

From 2011 to 2017, he was a Bureau Member of South Asians for Human Rights. He has also served as a consultant for various organizations, including the EU delegation in Bangladesh, UNDP, ADB, DANIDA, SIDA, CARE, TIB, and others, focusing on good governance, access to justice, and human rights.

Nazrul actively supported the recent student movement against quota discrimination and participated in various events in support of the protesters.

Adilur Rahman Khan

Adilur Rahman Khan is a Supreme Court lawyer and a prominent human rights activist in Bangladesh. He serves as the secretary of Odhikar, a rights organization that monitors human rights violations in the country.

Adilur, along with several other civil society members, founded Odhikar in 1994. He and a colleague were sentenced to two years in prison in connection with a case involving allegations of "distorting reports and doctored images" related to the May 5-6, 2013 police action against a Hefazat-e-Islam rally in Motijheel, Dhaka.

In 2022, the government revoked Odhikar's registration. Khan studied law at Dhaka University and was active in the democratic movement against Lieutenant General Hussain Mohammad Ershad. He also served as a deputy attorney general during the final term of the BNP-led government.

Dr Salehuddin Ahmed

Salehuddin Ahmed, a former governor of Bangladesh Bank, is currently a professor at BRAC Business School.

Originally from Old Dhaka, Ahmed comes from a family in Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria. He completed his schooling at Dhaka Collegiate School in 1963 and earned a postgraduate degree in economics from the University of Dhaka in 1969. He furthered his studies at McMaster University in Canada, where he completed a PhD in 1978.

Ahmed began his academic career as a lecturer in economics at the University of Dhaka in 1970. He also served in various administrative roles within the government of Bangladesh after joining the Civil Service of Pakistan.

His career includes notable contributions to the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific, an inter-governmental organization based in Dhaka.

Ahmed was the governor of the central bank from May 1, 2005, to April 30, 2009. He has also held positions as the managing director of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, director-general of the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development in Cumilla, and head of the NGO Affairs Bureau under the Office of the Prime Minister.

Faruk-e-Azam

Faruk-e-Azam, who was awarded the Bir Pratik for his courageous role in the Liberation War, served as a naval commando.

Hailing from Hathazari upazila in Chattogram, Faruk was a sub-commander in "Operation Jackpot," one of the largest operations against the Pakistan occupation forces conducted at Chattogram port.

On August 16, 1971, three teams were designated to attack the port. Although one team failed to reach Chattogram, the remaining two teams, consisting of 37 members and led by Captain AW Chowdhury, proceeded with the attack.

At the start of the Liberation War in 1971, Faruk had just completed his Higher Secondary Examinations and was in Khulna. He navigated numerous challenges to reach Chattogram.

On May 6, he crossed the border and sought refuge at India's Harina Youth Camp. There, he was recruited into the navy. After two months of training in Palashi, he was selected for "Operation Jackpot."

Faruk was also a key organizer of the first Bijoy Mela in Chattogram in 1989 and was an active member of the Forum for Planned Chattogram.

AFM Khalid Hossain

AFM Khalid Hossain is a professor in the Department of Quranic Science and Islamic Studies at the International Islamic University Chittagong.

He holds the position of Nayeb-e-Ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh and serves as an advisor to Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

Currently, Hossain is the Muhaddith at Al Jamia Al Arabia Jiri in Patiya upazila of Chattogram and the Khateeb at Hadrat Uthman Jame Mosque in Halishahar, Chattogram.

Born in 1959 in Babu Nagar village, Satkania upazila, he completed his MA and BA in Islamic History and Culture from Chittagong University, where he also earned his PhD in 2006.

Previously, he was an associate professor and head of the Islamic History and Culture Department at Omar Ghani MES College and served as the principal of Satkania Alia Madrasah.

He has also been the editor of the monthly At Tawheed, a correspondent for The Bangladesh Times and The Daily Sangbad, and a member of the editorial board for the Islamic Encyclopedia at the Islamic Foundation.

Supradip Chakma

Supradip Chakma is a former ambassador and currently serves as the chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board.

He has previously held the position of Bangladesh ambassador to both Vietnam and Mexico.

As a foreign service officer from the BCS 1985 batch, Chakma has held various roles at the Bangladesh Embassy in Rabat, the Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo, the Bangladesh Embassy in Brussels, and the Bangladesh Embassy in Ankara.

Born in Khagrachhari in 1961, he pursued a degree in marketing at Dhaka University.

AF Hassan Arif

AF Hassan Ariff is a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, with a legal career dating back to 1970.

He served as the attorney general from October 2001 to April 2005 under the four-party alliance government led by the BNP and Jamaat. Additionally, he was the legal adviser to the caretaker government from January 2008 to January 2009.

Hassan Ariff began his legal career at the Calcutta High Court in West Bengal, India, in 1967. He moved to Dhaka in 1970, where he began practicing law at the High Court.

He is also a Court Member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration.

M Sakhawat Hossain

M Sakhawat Hussain is a former election commissioner and a retired brigadier general of the Bangladesh Army.

He graduated from the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Mirpur, Dhaka, in 1979 and attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College from 1981 to 1982.

He earned a postgraduate degree in strategic studies from Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and is an alumnus of the National Defence College in Pakistan.

Commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1966 from the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul, Sakhawat joined the Bangladesh Army in 1972 following the country's independence.

He served as a commissioner with the Election Commission led by ATM Shamsul Huda from 2007 to 2012.

An accomplished author of 26 books, Sakhawat also served as a lieutenant colonel in the Military Operations Directorate.

M Touhid Hossain

Md Touhid Hossain, is a former foreign secretary of Bangladesh.

Born on February 1, 1955, he earned a master’s degree in history from the University of Dhaka. He joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1981.

From January 1999 to February 2000, he served as the principal of the Foreign Service Academy. He was the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata from 2001 to 2005 and held the position of Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh from 2006 to 2009.

In June 2012, he was appointed as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to South Africa.

Md Touhid Hossain is also a regular commentator on international affairs, contributing columns to The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and other media outlets.

Farida Akhter

Farida Akhter is a prominent rights activist who has championed women's rights since the 1980s.

An advocate for biodiversity-based ecological agriculture, she has conducted extensive research in this area.

She serves as the executive director of UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternative), a policy and action research organization founded in 1984 by activists to support social, economic, political, and cultural transformation.

Farida is also the president of Narigrantha Prabartana, a bookstore and publishing house focused on women's literature.

She vehemently protested the 1995 rape and murder of 14-year-old Yasmin Akhter in Dinajpur by members of the Bangladesh Police, a case that ignited widespread protests.

Additionally, Farida advocates for direct elections to the reserved parliamentary seats.

Sharmeen Murshid

Sharmeen Murshid is a prominent election expert and serves as the chief executive officer of "Brotee," an organization dedicated to monitoring elections.

She has long been a champion for free and fair elections, open democracy, and the strengthening of democratic institutions in the country.

Sharmeen is the daughter of Khan Sarwar Murshid, an esteemed educationist, diplomat, intellectual, and renowned professor at Dhaka University. Her mother, Nurjahan Murshid, was a journalist, teacher, and social activist.

Additionally, Sharmeen is the secretary-general of "Uttarsury," a cultural center.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan

Syeda Rizwana Hasan is a Supreme Court lawyer and the chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).

She has been a prominent advocate for environmental issues in the country.

Rizwana has been honored with the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often considered Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, for her efforts in environmental justice.

She was also named one of the 40 Environmental Heroes of the World by TIME magazine.

Additionally, Rizwana serves as the chairperson of RDRS, an organization founded in February 1972 as the Bangladesh field program of the Geneva-based Lutheran World Federation/Department for World Service (LWF/DWS). RDRS provides relief, rehabilitation, and development support to communities in northwest Bangladesh affected by the war.

Nurjahan Begum

Nurjahan Begum was among the earliest collaborators with Muhammad Yunus in founding Grameen Bank in 1976 in the village of Jobra, Chittagong district.

A student of Chittagong University, Nurjahan played a crucial role in organizing poor rural women into Grameen Bank's grassroots groups during its formative and challenging years. At that time, it was uncommon for rural women to leave their homes or interact with non-relatives, let alone secure a loan from a financial institution.

She served as Grameen Bank's program officer in Chittagong, Tangail, Rangpur, and Patuakhali, and was the general manager of Training and International Programs for over a decade. Additionally, she was the principal of Grameen Bank's Central Training Institute.

Nurjahan Begum also held the position of deputy managing director at the Nobel Prize-winning organization and became the acting managing director after Yunus's retirement in 2011.

Bidhan Ranjan Roy Podder

Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar is a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital in Dhaka. A psychiatrist by profession, he now practices in Mymensingh.

Born in Sunamganj in 1964, Bidhan completed his SSC at Sunamganj Government Jubilee High School and his HSC at Dhaka College.

He earned his MBBS degree from Sir Salimullah Medical College. He served as the director of the psychiatry department at the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital from March 2020 to July 2023.

Nahid Islam

Nahid Islam is a leading organizer of the student movement that resulted in Sheikh Hasina's departure.

A master's student in sociology at Dhaka University, Nahid is one of the two youngest advisors to the government, the other being Asif Mahmud.

He is also the member secretary of Ganotantrik Chhatra Shakti, a group formed by former members of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad led by Nurul Haque Nur.

Last month, Nahid was reportedly detained and tortured by law enforcement until he lost consciousness. During the peak of the student protests, he was again detained by the Detective Branch of police along with five other protesters.

In 2018, Nahid was actively involved in the quota-reform protests that had a significant impact nationwide, during which he faced threats from university officials and faculty members.

Asif Mahmud

Asif Mahmud is a key coordinator of the quota reform protest, which evolved into an anti-government movement and eventually led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government.

Currently a master's student in the linguistics department at Dhaka University, Asif, along with five other leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, was detained by the Detective Branch of police for several days.

He was notably active in the 2018 quota reform protests and was elected president at the first conference of Chhatra Adhikar Parishad in 2023. However, he resigned within about five months, citing violations of the organization's constitution by the central leadership.

On October 4 of the previous year, he became the convener of a new student organization called Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti.

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