Muhammad Mansur Ali

Muhammad Mansur Ali (16 January 1917 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician who was a close confidant of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh. A senior leader of the Awami League, Mansur also served briefly as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 1975 until he was assassinated while incarcerated on 3 November 1975.

Early life and education Muhammad Mansur Ali was born on 16 January 1917 to a Bengali Muslim family of Sarkars in the village of Kuripara in Qazipur, Sirajganj (then under Pabna District), Bengal Presidency. His father's name was Haraf Ali Sarkar. Mansur pursued his education in Kolkata Islamia College (now Maulana Azad College), graduating in 1942. He would pursue a MA degree in economics and in 1945 completed a law degree from Aligarh Muslim University.

During this period Mansur became an active member of the Muslim League, which under Muhammad Ali Jinnah demanded a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. He served as the vice-president of the Pabna District Muslim League from 1946 to 1950. He received training at Jessore Cantonment as a captain in PLG (Pakistan Lancers Group) in 1948. Since then he was widely known as Captain Mansur. Deciding to practise law, he enrolled in the Pabna District Court in 1951.

Death

On 15 August 1975, Mujib was assassinated along with his family by a group of military officers. The 15 August coup d'état was masterminded by Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, a disgruntled member of Mujib's regime who would become president. Mansur went into hiding immediately after the killing. When Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad invited Awami League leaders such as Mansur Ali, Syed Nazrul Islam, A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman and Tajuddin Ahmad to join his government, they refused.