BASIS Gets a New Administrator

Following resignation and legal hurdles, the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has received a new administrator, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, Muhammad Hafizullah Khan. According to sources, upon assuming his role on September 10, Khan held a meeting with BASIS Secretariat staff.

Under Section 17 of the Trade Organization Act 2022, he will oversee the organization’s smooth functioning. Within 120 days of taking office, he is required to update the voter list and hand over responsibilities to the next elected leaders of BASIS.

The appointment was issued through an office order signed on September 9 by Muhammad Rehan Uddin, Director General of Trade Organization Branch-2.

Swift Election Directive for Executive Committee
Previously, following the political shift after the mass upsurge, complaints from the Anti-Discrimination ICT Entrepreneurs Council, Anti-Discrimination Engineers’ Council, and general members prompted the Ministry of Commerce to appoint Dr. Muhammad Mehedi Hasan as BASIS administrator on December 4, 2024. However, after Chairman Rafel Kabir resigned on April 30 the following year, BASIS’s support committee was dissolved on May 1 under Section 18(2)(c) and (j) of the Trade Organization Act.

Dr. Hasan resigned on May 4, citing his upcoming retirement on July 20 and his inability to complete the necessary reforms and hold elections within the 120-day timeframe.

Stalled BASIS, Unhindered Administrator
Without an administrator or support committee, BASIS remained without oversight for months. The Ministry of Commerce even had to approach the Supreme Court to appoint a caretaker. The 2024 petition challenging the administrator’s appointment was discharged by the High Court Division on March 19 and by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on August 24 this year. Based on the advice of senior legal experts, the Ministry has now appointed a new administrator.