Zahirul Islam Attached to Public Administration

After more than a decade in key positions in the technology and telecommunications sector, Additional Secretary of the Posts and Telecommunications Division Md. Zahirul Islam has been attached to the Ministry of Public Administration. A notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on September 9, 2026, transferred him as Additional Secretary (Attached) to the ministry. The move ends the telecommunications-related responsibilities of the 18th batch Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) cadre official, who has served in the same ministry and its affiliated agencies earlier 2012.

September 9, Wednesday, the Ministry of Public Administration issued the notification, which said the order would take effect immediately.

Zahirul Islam served as Commission Secretary of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) from May 20, 2018, to January 27, 2022. He later joined the Posts and Telecommunications Division after being promoted to Joint Secretary. While serving in the same division, he was promoted to Additional Secretary on August 25, 2024.

Zahirul Islam joined BTRC as an Assistant Director in 2012. However, according to sources, he primarily served there as the Private Secretary to Sunil Kanti Bose.

His tenure in the Posts and Telecommunications Division has also been accompanied by several controversies. When the Bangladesh Satellite-1 project, then known as Bangabandhu Satellite-1, was under BTRC, Zahirul Islam, then a Deputy Secretary, served as the project’s Deputy Project Director (DPD). He was also allegedly appointed as a director of Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited due to his close ties with former BTRC Chairman Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood.

Sources claim that before August 5, Zahirul Islam was promoted from Deputy Secretary to Joint Secretary with the backing of Dr. Shahjahan Mahmood. After the fall of the Awami League government, he came into the spotlight as an official claiming discrimination after leading a protest by government officials at the Secretariat on August 8 last year. He was promoted to Additional Secretary later that month. Zahirul Islam, however, has denied these allegations.

While, Mushfiqur Rahman retired after handing over his responsibilities to Additional Secretary Zahirul Islam under an office order issued by the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology on April 30 last year. Zahirul Islam subsequently performed the additional routine duties.

Sources concerned said the limited authority associated with routine responsibilities had caused a slowdown in the ministry’s day-to-day operations at the time. The impact was felt in financial and administrative activities as well as in the operations of organisations under the ministry. The ministry’s secretary serves ex officio as chairman of the boards of six state-owned companies. In the absence of a full-time secretary, board meetings of these entities could not be held, creating complications in taking important decisions.

To address the situation, an office order issued on May 15 that year appointed Zahirul Islam, who was performing routine duties, as chairman of the boards of state-owned entities under the ministry. As a result, he simultaneously served as chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, Bangladesh Submarine Cables Company Limited, Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Limited, Telephone Shilpa Sangstha Limited (Teshis) and Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited.

The arrangement also drew objections and dissatisfaction among officials concerned. More than 200 officials from the 11th to 17th batches of the Administration cadre were serving as Additional Secretaries in various ministries and government agencies. Although many of them were eligible for promotion, questions were raised over retaining an official from the 18th batch in the additional duties of secretary and subsequently appointing him chairman of the boards of subordinate entities.

In particular, Ashraf Hossain, Director General of the Directorate of Posts and Telecommunications; Mamunur Rashid, Managing Director of BTCL; and Nurul Mabud, Managing Director of state-owned mobile network operator Teletalk, are all officials from the 13th batch of the BCS Administration cadre. Questions were raised within official circles over Zahirul Islam, an official from the 18th batch of the Posts and Telecommunications Division, serving in a senior position as secretary and chairman of the boards of BTCL and Teletalk.

Amid the controversy over seniority and postings among Administration cadre officials, Zahirul Islam has now been attached to the Ministry of Public Administration. Under the new notification, he has been posted as Additional Secretary (Attached) to the ministry.

//DBTech/MABT/SME/FOET//