ICT and Information Secretaries have been made OSD
3 days after fleeing the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024 in the face of student-public mass upsurge, Dr. Muhammad Younus took charge of the country on August 8 as the Chief Advisor, the head of the interim government. The government decided to remove all the secretaries who were appointed on contractual basis as the confidants of the Awami League government.
According to this decision, contractual appointments are being cancelled. Besides, some officers are being transferred as OSD (Officer on Special Duty). In continuation of that, on Thursday, Secretary of Information and Communication Technology Division Md. Shamsul Arefin has been made OSD. At the same time, the senior secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Md. Humayun Kabir Khandkar has also been made OSD.
Both of them have been removed from their respective duties and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration. Mohammad Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the reform movement, is serving as an advisor to both these ministries. At the same time, he is in charge of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.
Shortly before the issuance of the OSD notification, the former ICT Secretary was next to the advisor in a press conference about the overall situation in the secretariat.
Earlier on August 14, the interim government canceled the contract-based appointment of 11 secretaries. So far 5 posts have been appointed but 6 posts are vacant.
On this day, the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism. Mokammel Hossain's remaining term of contractual appointment has been cancelled. The post has been vacant since then.
The appointment of secretary KM Abdus Salam of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat was also canceled on the same day. Since then, this post is also lying vacant.
On August 14, Secretary of Financial Institutions Department Md. Abdur Rahman Khan was made the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). Since then, the post of secretary of this important department is vacant. On the same day Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council (BEPRC) Chairman Md. Mokabbir Hussain was appointed Senior Secretary of the Public Security Department. The post has been vacant since then. Abdul Baki, a member of the Planning Commission, was appointed as the new secretary of the Ministry of Railways on August 20. After that, no one else was appointed to this position. As a result, the post is left vacant. Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Shipping Md. Mustafa Kamal was made OSD last September 2. After that, no one else was appointed to this position.
