Lesson 1/55 min
Firsts in government and administration
State and government
| Post | First holder |
|---|---|
| President | Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
| Acting President | Syed Nazrul Islam |
| Constitutional President (Zubair) | Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury |
| Prime Minister | Tajuddin Ahmad |
| Defence Minister (Khandokar) | Tajuddin Ahmad |
| Presented a budget (Zubair) | Tajuddin Ahmad |
| Home Minister | A.H.M. Quamruzzaman |
| Finance Minister | Captain M. Mansur Ali |
| Foreign Minister | Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad |
| Speaker of the Constituent Assembly | Shah Abdul Hamid |
| Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad | Mohammad Ullah |
| Tribal ambassador | Sarbindu Shekhar Chakma |
| Elected Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation (Khandokar) | Mohammad Hanif |
Judiciary, elections, forces and bodies
| Post | First holder |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice | A.S.M. Sayem |
| High Court judge (Khandokar) | Syed Mahmud (Khandokar; not verified) |
| Chief Election Commissioner | Justice Mohammad Idris |
| Inspector General of Police | Abdul Khaleque (Khandokar writes M.A. Khalek) |
| Commander-in-Chief of the forces | M.A.G. Osmani (Ataul Gani Osmani) |
| Air Force chief (Zubair) | A.K. Khandker |
| PSC Chairman (Khandokar) | A.Q.M. Bazlul Karim |
| Governor of Bangladesh Bank | A.N.M. Hamidullah |
| Tax Ombudsman (Khandokar) | Khairuzzaman Chowdhury |
| Education Commission chairman (Zubair) | Qudrat-i-Khuda |
| ACC chairman (Zubair) | Justice Sultan Hossain Khan |
| Finance Secretary (Khandokar) | Khandokar Asaduzzaman (Khandokar; not verified) |
| Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University | Sir P.J. Hartog |
| Muslim VC of DU (Zubair) | Sir A.F. Rahman |
Watch out: Army chief: both books name Osmani. Other sources say Osmani was the wartime Commander-in-Chief (April 1971 - April 1972) and K.M. Shafiullah was the first Chief of Army Staff (7 April 1972). In exams the books' answer is Osmani. First IGP: Khandokar writes ‘M.A. Khalek’; another source gives Abdul Khaleque. The finance secretary, High Court judge and DU Muslim VC names could not be checked, so they are not in the quiz.
First census
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| First census of independent Bangladesh (Zubair) | 1974 |
| First presidential election (Khandokar) | 1978 |
Check yourself
Who was the first Prime Minister and the first Acting President?
At a glance
- 1
First President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; Acting President Syed Nazrul Islam; Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmad.
- 2
First Finance Minister Captain Mansur Ali; Home Quamruzzaman; Foreign Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad.
- 3
First Chief Justice A.S.M. Sayem; first Election Commissioner Justice Mohammad Idris.
- 4
First Speakers: Shah Abdul Hamid (Constituent Assembly), Mohammad Ullah (Jatiya Sangsad).
- 5
First Bangladesh Bank governor A.N.M. Hamidullah; first PSC chairman Bazlul Karim.