An interim government was formed on Thursday (August 8), with Nobel laureate Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus as the chief advisor. The advisors also include two coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, both students of Dhaka University (DU). President Md Sahabuddin administered the oath to them at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban on Thursday (August 8).

In addition to Nahid and Asif, the advisory council also includes Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Dr Asif Nazrul, Adilur Rahman Khan, AF Hasan Arif, Touhid Hossain, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Brigadier General (Ret.) M Sakhawat Hussain, Supradip Chakma, Farida Akhter, Bidhan Ranjan Roy, AFM Khalid Hasan, Nurjahan Begum, Sharmeen Murshid, and Faruk-e-Azam.

Supradip Chakma, Bidhan Ranjan Ray, and Faruk-i-Azam did not take the oath on Thursday, while the others did.

Dr Yunus took the oath first, and then he signed it as the Chief Advisor of the government. Immediately afterward, the 13 advisors of the interim government took their oaths. Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the oath-taking ceremony. He mentioned that Bidhan Ranjan Roy, Supradip Chakma, and Faruk-e-Azam could not take the oath on Thursday because they were outside Dhaka. They are expected to take the oath at a later date.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by the President's wife, Dr Rebeca Sultana, senior leaders of various political parties, judges, representatives from various organizations, the heads of the three armed forces, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), senior military and civilian officials, diplomats, freedom fighters, senior journalists, and other distinguished individuals.

Economist Dr Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor, is the founder of Grameen Bank. His "microcredit model" for poverty alleviation has received widespread acclaim globally, earning him the Nobel Prize for Peace. He also holds the Presidential Award and Congressional Award from the United States. Recently, Dr Yunus developed a new model called "social business," which has been globally recognized and adopted by various countries, including Malaysia in Asia and several European nations. His ancestral home is in Jobra village, Hathazari upazila, Chattogram. He also served as an advisor in the caretaker government formed under former Chief Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman in 1996.

Among the advisors, Dr Salehuddin Ahmed is the former Governor of the Bangladesh Bank. His ancestral home is in Shrirampur (Dari Shrirampur) village, Nabinagar upazila, Brahmanbaria.

Dr Asif Nazrul is a professor in the Law Department at Dhaka University, a novelist, political analyst, and constitutional expert. His ancestral home is in Homna upazila, Comilla.

Brigadier General (Ret.) M Sakhawat Hussain was appointed as a Commissioner of the Election Commission in 2007 under the leadership of ATM Shamsul Huda and served until 2012. After retiring from military service, he gained fame as a national security, international relations, and politics analyst, and as a military researcher. He was born in Barisal.

AF Hasan Arif, a former Attorney General of Bangladesh, served as the legal advisor to the caretaker government from January 2008 to January 2009. He previously held the position from 2001 to April 2005.

Mohammad Touhid Hossain is a former Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh. After retiring, he regularly writes columns and articles on national and international relations, security, and politics for domestic and international media and journals.

Sharmeen Murshid has worked as an election observer in Bangladesh and various other countries. She is currently the rights-based organization "Brotee " 's Chief Executive Officer."

Former Deputy Attorney General Adilur Rahman Khan is a human rights activist and the founder of the human rights organization Odhikar. His ancestral home is in Shologhar, Sreenagar upazila, Munshiganj.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan is a Bangladeshi lawyer and environmentalist who received the title "Heroes of Environment" from Time magazine in 2009. She is well-known as an environmental lawyer in Bangladesh and serves as the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA). Although her ancestral home is in Chunarughat, Chattogram, she was born in Dhaka's Dhanmondi.

Farida Akhter is a writer, researcher, and activist. She studied economics at the University of Chattogram, where Professor Yunus directly taught her. She is currently the Executive Director of the private organization UBINIG (Policy Research for Development Alternatives). She was born in Harala village, Chandanaish upazila, Chattogram district.

Professor Dr Abul Fayez Muhammad Khalid Hossain, popularly known as AFM Khalid Hossain, is a writer, researcher, hadith scholar, and history and political analyst. This education advisor for the Islamic Movement of Bangladesh hails from Mkkar Bari in the Madarsha Union of Satkania Upazila, Chattogram. He is a guest lecturer in the Department of Qur'anic Sciences and Islamic Studies at the International Islamic University Chattogram.

Nurjahan Begum serves as the acting managing director of Grameen Bank and Grameen Education, a non-profit educational institution for the Grameen family. She studied at the University of Chattogram.

Nahid Islam gained prominence as the chief coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement surrounding the quota reform movement. Nahid Islam, from Bonshree, Dhaka, enrolled in the Sociology Department at Dhaka University in the 2016-17 academic year.

Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan also gained attention due to his involvement in the recent quota reform movement and serves as a leading coordinator in the anti-discrimination student movement.

Both Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud are leaders of a student organization named Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti. Nahid is the General Secretary of its central committee, while Asif is the Convener of the Dhaka University branch. Akhtar Hossain, the former Social Welfare Secretary of Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU), is the President of this organization.

Among those who have not yet taken the oath, Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar, who recently retired as the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital (NIMH), is well-regarded as a mental health specialist with expertise in drug addiction and sexual disorders. He has also served as the President of the Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists (BAP).

Supradip Chakma has served as an ambassador in Mexico and Vietnam and has held various positions in Bangladesh missions in Rabat, Morocco; Brussels, Belgium; Ankara, Turkey; and Colombo, Sri Lanka. He was also the Chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board. Supradip's ancestral home is in Kamalchari, Khagrachari.

Bir Protik Faruk-e-Azam was the Deputy Commander of the only integrated military operation of the Liberation War, "Operation Jackpot." After the war, he joined the Navy and took on several essential responsibilities. In retirement, he actively works to preserve the history of the Liberation War and spread its spirit among the new generation. Faruk-e-Azam currently resides in Mehedibagh, Chattogram.