Tech Professional Rehan Asif Asad Appointed Adviser to Telecom, ICT and Science Ministries
The Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and ICT, along with the Ministry of Science and Technology, has gained a new adviser in addition to its minister and state minister. Engineer Rehan Asif Asad has been appointed as adviser to both ministries.
He received the responsibility with the status of a state minister two days earlier, as one of the 10 advisers appointed to assist the cabinet formed under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, Prime Minister of the 13th National Parliament.
On February 19, through the formal distribution of portfolios among advisers, the technology professional-turned-politician was assigned advisory responsibility for the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The newly appointed adviser was born in Kella Baruipara village under Godagari upajila of Rajshahi district. He completed a Master’s degree in Management and Engineering from MIT Sloan School of Management and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Telecom and Electrical Engineering from RMIT University.
He is the son of the late Dr. M. Asaduzzaman, former Chairman and Executive Director of the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority, and the nephew of the late Barrister Aminul Haque, former Minister of Posts and Telecommunications. Another of his uncles, Enamul Haque, served as a former Inspector General of Police in Bangladesh.
Rehan Asif Asad was also a member of the BNP’s election conducting committee during the 13th National Parliamentary election.
In his new advisory role, he will assist Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam and State Minister M. A. Muhith in advancing the sectors of posts, telecommunications, ICT, and science and technology with his sector-specific knowledge and experience.
With the appointment of a minister, state minister, and adviser, it is being speculated that the two ministries may be operated in a parallel and coordinated manner under the BNP’s fourth term in government.
Following independence, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications began operations on January 20, 1972. In 1985, it was reorganized as a separate ministry, and on February 10, 2014, it was restructured and integrated as a division under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.
Similarly, the Ministry of Science and Technology was established on August 14, 1993. In 2002, it was renamed the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology, and later, on December 4, 2011, it was renamed again as the Ministry of Science and Technology.
From 2002 to 2006, Abdul Moyeen Khan of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party served as Minister for Science and ICT. During the same period, Barrister Aminul Haque served as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications under the government of Khaleda Zia.
Since then, the telecom and science sectors had typically been overseen by a full minister, while ICT was managed by a state minister. During the Awami League government tenure, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, a young MP from the Rajshahi division, served as state minister for the restructured Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and ICT. He is currently imprisoned in connection with a case related to internet shutdowns and has reportedly been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal.
Following the July uprising, leadership changes occurred within the ministry. After Nahid Islam—who had led the movement and was elected as an MP in the new government—left the adviser post, the ministry’s responsibilities were overseen by engineer Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb as a special assistant to the Chief Adviser of the interim government. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Science and Technology had former governor and economist Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed serving as adviser.
DBTech/IH/MUM/OR
