Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) came to power for the first time in 1991 under Khaleda Zia after the fall of Hussain Muhammad Ershad’s authoritarian regime. Towards the end of its first term, the party faced a strong movement demanding a caretaker government. At the same time, it encountered opposition from segments of government officials and employees. Leading this dissent were several then-serving government officials and former Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) officers, including Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir and Safiur Rahman, who became directly involved in anti-government protests. A government-centred opposition network formed under their leadership within the secretariat. Indirectly, other former CSP officers such as HT Imam, ASHK Sadeq, Shah AMS Kibria, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, and Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali were linked to the movement. Many of them later held key positions during subsequent Awami League governments.
CSP officers served as field-level administrators across ministries and departments under Pakistani government. The posts were replaced by the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) following independence. The Pakistani central government relied heavily on these officers to manage local administration in all provinces, including then-East Pakistan. Politicians had little sway over them, though personal relationships occasionally existed. Rather, conflicts between politicians and bureaucrats over administration were widely noted. Even after independence, those officers retained their CSP identity. And during Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s rule, they formed the backbone of the nascent country’s top administration, shaping governance in the newly independent state.
Politics entered the bureaucracy through them. From positions within the state, they became active in advancing the ruling party’s political agenda. Six of the first seven CSP officers who served as cabinet secretaries following independence became politically active after retirement. Many are accused of using their bureaucratic influence post-retirement to deploy field-level civil servants in service of partisan objectives.
Political unrest undermined BNP’s ability to form a strong government amid the main opposition parties’ boycott of the February 15, 1996, election, recalled several officials who served in senior roles during Khaleda Zia’s first term. At the same time, continuous pressure from movements demanding a caretaker government fostered anti-government sentiment among secretariat-based officers and staff. Many of them leaned towards the Awami League. A significant portion of this group was influenced behind the scenes by prominent former CSP officers aligned with Awami League. Faced with mounting political and administrative crises, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia announced on March 3 that she would introduce a caretaker government bill. With the parliament dissolved on March 30, she was compelled to resign.
The issue of a caretaker government had inflamed the political arena by 1995 as Khaleda Zia’s first term drew to a close. Opposition parties — including Awami League, Jamaat, and Jatiya Party — demanded that the next election be held under a caretaker government rather than a party-led administration. The ruling BNP opposed this demand and proceeded to organise a national election under its own administration on February 15, 1996. This heightened political instability. Some civil servants amid this standoff abandoned standard bureaucratic norms and values and secretly forged political links with Awami League.
At the time, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Imamuzzaman Chowdhury Bir Bikrom headed the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). He recalled, “After 1996 February election, certain officials obstructed the government of then-Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Janatar Mancha (a public platform) emerged under the leadership of Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir. The then-main opposition party Awami League mounted a vigorous movement. Consequently, the government was forced to resign within a very short period.”
Key initiatives were led by a small group of officers from two irregular batches of the civil administration: the 1973 batch, known as the Freedom Fighter batch, and the 1983 batch. CSP secretary Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir emerged as their central leader. Behind the scenes, they built an anti-government and Awami League-aligned political platform within the bureaucracy. They later extended their influence by bringing secretariat employees’ association into the fold.
At the time, the secretariat employees’ association was mobilising around its own demands. Awami League-aligned officers arranged secret meetings between the employees and the main opposition leader, promising to address their claims after a change in government. Employee leader Syed Mohiuddin guided the staff in these efforts. The platform operated primarily under Dr. Alamgir’s leadership. Being a CSP officer, he benefited from strong support within the influential CSP Club. Economist and former University of Dhaka professor Dr. Mahbub Ullah told Bonik Barta, “After the February election, a bureaucratic revolt took shape under Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir. Government orders were ignored everywhere. I reported this to Begum Khaleda Zia at the time. She told me that the army had confirmed they didn’t take any action against her and that the revolt was being carried out by bureaucrats themselves.”
This anti-government platform became increasingly public ahead of the 1996 February election. Officers held meetings, rallies, and processions inside the secretariat and began participating in strikes called by opposition political parties. Most officials at that time opposed such political activism and disorder, though they avoided confronting participants directly to maintain decorum. They hoped the government would act decisively. But the government remained paralysed by indecision.
Against this backdrop, the secretariat became increasingly tense around the February national election. An unprecedented joint assembly of officers and staff was held within the secretariat. Presided over by employee leader Syed Mohiuddin, the meeting saw secretaries, including Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Senior Assistant Secretary RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, and Abu Alam Shahid Khan, deliver anti-government statements. Accompanied by several BCS administration officers, Dr. Alamgir met the Cabinet Secretary, warning that “unless security is guaranteed, members of the administration service will not carry out election duties.” A group of secretaries, including Alamgir himself, later visited Bangabhaban to convey the same message to the president.
The February 15 election proceeded largely as a one-sided contest. The Awami League, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Jatiya Party boycotted the polls. Tensions in the secretariat escalated further after the vote. A bomb exploded within the secretariat on March 9. The unprecedented event injured one employee of the Ministry of Establishment. Officers also faced harassment en route to their workplaces. A secretariat employees’ solidarity council was formed in response. The council aligned its actions with parties campaigning for the government’s ouster. On March 23, Awami League erected a stage outside the secretariat near the National Press Club, calling it the “Janatar Mancha” or People’s Platform. Anti-government activities were coordinated from the platform. At one point, officers loyal to Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir and a section of staff led by Syed Mohiuddin marched from the secretariat to the platform, signalling their political alignment. The stage hosted speeches from political leaders as well as secretaries and officials, including Dr. Alamgir, Abu Alam Shahid Khan, RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, Deputy Secretary Abdul Hai, Khan Belayet Hossain, Syed Mohiuddin, and Shah Alam. This marked an unprecedented episode in the history of Bangladesh’s civil service.
Former CSP officer HT Imam joined the service in 1962. He played a key role in influencing government officials to participate in the Awami League-led platform. After independence, he served as Cabinet Secretary from 1971 until August 26, 1975. He also held senior positions in various ministries. When the Awami League returned to power in 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appointed him as adviser on public administration with cabinet rank. He later became her political adviser in 2014.
ASHK Sadek was a key figure among the former officials who influenced government officers and staff against Khaleda Zia’s administration. Over a long civil service career, he held senior positions including secretary of the ministries of Industry, Housing and Public Works, Defence, Education, and Petroleum and Mineral Resources, as well as director of NIPA. He also served as UNIDO administrative expert and regional industrial adviser in Kuala Lumpur from 1974 to 1978 and in Bangkok from 1985 to 1990. He voluntarily retired in 1988 and joined Awami League in 1992. He was elected to parliament from Jashore-6 (Keshabpur) in 1996 and became education minister on June 23 of the same year. Sadek had joined the CSP cadre in 1956. He served as sub-divisional officer in Nilphamari and Narayanganj and later as deputy commissioner of Cumilla.
Shah AMS Kibria also played a role in mobilising government employees against BNP administration. He joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1954, later becoming director general of the political division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kibria served the finance ministry in the Awami League government from 1996 to 2001 and was elected to parliament in 2001.
Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, the CSP officer who organised the bureaucratic opposition, later joined Awami League and became a state minister. He also became a presidium member within the party and eventually held the home ministry portfolio after his 2008 election to parliament.
RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury was a member of the 1983 special batch and held a rank of senior assistant secretary in 1996. A leader during his student life, he served as the prime minister’s private secretary in 1996. He later joined the Awami League in 2009, eventually becoming a parliamentarian.
Other former CSP officers who encouraged government staff to oppose then-BNP government included Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, who served as finance minister under the recent Awami League government. Former CSP officer Abul Maal Abdul Muhith also played a key role in 1996 in organising bureaucrats against BNP. He subsequently held the finance ministry for an extended period under Awami League. Former CSP officer Mostafa Faruque Mohammad and several others also worked on behalf of Awami League in contributing to the fall of Khaleda Zia’s government.
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Jamilud Din Ahsan Bir Protik served as SSF director general from October 19, 1991, to July 26, 1996. He recalled, “After the sixth national parliamentary election, officials were organised and deployed for the first time in anti-state activities. This occurred under the leadership of a senior officer who held a distinct political ideology. Similar interventions by bureaucracy in state affairs recurred later.”
He added, “However, the officials’ non-cooperation was not the primary reason for the government’s resignation. The election was mainly held to facilitate the passage of the caretaker government bill. For that purpose, BNP nominated individuals who, under normal circumstances, I doubt would have received party nominations.”
The sixth national parliamentary election was held on February 15, 1996. Major opposition parties largely boycotted the election. The voter turnout was just 21 percent. BNP won 278 seats and went on to form the government. The Freedom Party secured one seat, and independents won ten. Results in ten constituencies remained inconclusive, and the election in one seat was postponed. Justice AKM Sadek served as the chief election commissioner at the time. The parliament convened its first session on March 19 but was dissolved just 12 days later on March 30, 1996. The main opposition was led by Lt. Col. (ret.) Khandaker Abdur Rashid, with Khandaker Delwar Hossain as chief whip.
In 1993, both Jamaat and Awami League had submitted a caretaker government bill demanding neutral elections. The BNP government, however, rejected it. With international mediation failing, political unrest intensified. The February 15 election proceeded amid opposition boycotts and protests. Then-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia — under mounting nationwide non-cooperation and political pressure — announced on March 3 that she would introduce the caretaker government bill. She resigned after the parliament was dissolved on March 30. Former Chief Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman was appointed chief adviser to lead the caretaker government. The Awami League came to power through the June 1996 election which was held under the caretaker government. Following the defeat, BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia alleged that the administration had acted against her party during the parliamentary polls.