On November 6, he resigned and left Bangabhaban. In a counter-coup on November 7, Khaled Mosharraf was killed. On that day, Khondaker Mostaq was offered the positions of President and Chief Martial Law Administrator. However, he rejected the proposal by citing the need for a non-political and uncontroversial president.
In the aftermath, Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, who had taken the oath the previous day, remained President. He was also made the Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA). Major General Ziaur Rahman, the then Chief of Army Staff, was appointed Deputy Chief Martial Law Administrator (DCMLA) and a President's Advisory Council member. Air Vice Marshal MG Tawab, the then Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral MH Khan, the then Chief of Navy, were also appointed as DCMLAs and members of the President's Advisory Council.
During the coup and counter-coup, Davis Eugene Boster was the U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh. On November 10, he submitted a report detailing the events of that period to the U.S. Department of State. The report is now preserved in the Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State.
In his account of the events following the November 7 coup, Ambassador Boster wrote that the rebellion of the lower-ranking soldiers led to a breakdown of discipline within the army. The soldiers presented various demands to the military leadership. Fearing the rampaging soldiers, a large number of military officers fled their military camps, and several officers and their wives were killed. After the ousting of Mosharraf, a new government was formed in the country through meetings between General Zia, Mostaq, and other associates. During the meetings, Khondaker Mostaq was once again offered the position of President. However, he rejected the proposal, stating that, in such an explosive situation, the country needed a non-political and uncontroversial president. As a result, it was decided that Justice Sayem be retained as president and appointed as the chief martial law administrator (CMLA). Before this, Ziaur Rahman had temporarily held the position of CMLA. In the interest of restoring stability to the country quickly, the decisions taken in that meeting received support from both the military and political leaders.
The unstable situation that led to coups and counter-coups began on August 15, 1975. In a coup by junior officers of the army, then-President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed along with his family. A government was formed under the leadership of Khondaker Mostaq. However, Khondaker Mostaq faced another coup on the morning of November 3. In the early hours, Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf, the then Chief of General Staff (CGS), and his loyalists quickly took control of most areas of the capital, including Dhaka Cantonment. To display strength and demoralize the tank crews loyal to the Mostaq government, MiG fighter jets, and armed helicopters were flown over the capital.
Booster wrote that on that day, Khaled Mosharraf presented four demands to Khondaker Mostaq. The first demand was to remove Major General Ziaur Rahman and appoint him (Khaled Mosharraf) as the Chief of Army Staff. The other demands included bringing the rebellious Majors back under the army's rules and discipline, disarming the tank crews loyal to the government, and allowing Mostaq to remain in power.
Weakened in the balance of power, Khondaker Mostaq, fearing bloodshed and the possibility of Indian intervention, ultimately compromised with Khaled Mosharraf. However, before agreeing to this compromise, he had sought help from the Cumilla Cantonment but was rejected. He was informed that the Commander of Cumilla Cantonment would only act on orders from the Chief of Army Staff or the Chief of General Staff (CGS). Forced into a compromise with Khaled Mosharraf, Mostaq's actions allowed the Majors who had brought him to power to leave the country safely. Meanwhile, on the night of November 3, former Prime Minister Mansur Ali, former Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tajuddin Ahmad, and former Industry Minister Qamaruzzaman were killed in Dhaka Central Jail.
We have enough information to believe that, had Mostaq been killed initially, plans were already in place to eliminate them as an alternative. After the Major perpetrators left Dhaka, the mystery surrounding Mostaq’s involvement in the killings deepened. According to one source, Khaled Mosharraf did not know about the killings until the plane carrying the Majors left Dhaka at midnight on Monday. Many observers believe that the motive behind these killings was to remove any potential leadership that could support a pro-India government, former US Ambassador Davis Eugene Boster
Meanwhile, with the departure of the Majors from the country, the situation began to stabilize. Discussions continued between Khondaker Mostaq and Mosharraf over the next two days, Tuesday and Wednesday. Late on Wednesday night, Khaled Mosharraf was appointed Chief of Army Staff. On Thursday morning, Mostaq resigned, and Chief Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem was declared President. He took the oath of office as President that same day and immediately dissolved the parliament. It was announced at the time that the cabinet had resigned in protest of the killings of the former government leaders.
Ambassador Boster noted that many army officers did not view Khaled Mosharraf's coup favorably. They had greater admiration for Major General Ziaur Rahman, whose popularity was higher among the military. At that time, Khaled Mosharraf was seen as an instrument for implementing India's policies. This perception was further emphasized by the two processions in Dhaka on Tuesday and Wednesday, protesting the jail killings.
In this context, in the early hours of Friday, the lower-ranking soldiers of the army revolted. Khaled Mosharraf and his loyalists were ousted, and Khaled Mosharraf was killed. Gunfire raged throughout the night and day in Dhaka. According to one source, around 30 people were killed in the incident. Other reports suggest that the death toll was in the hundreds.