Five retired additional secretaries appointed as secretaries
They have been appointed on a two-year contract starting from their date of joining
![File photo of Bangladesh Secretariat. Photo: Collected](https://www.tbsnews.net/sites/default/files/styles/big_2/public/images/2021/07/11/secretariat-bd.jpg)
The interim government has reinstated five retired additional secretaries, appointing them as secretaries on a contractual basis.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration today (17 August), they have been appointed on a two-year contract starting from their date of joining.
Sheikh Abdur Rashid has been made secretary of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education while Md Ehsanul Haque has been made secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division.
In addition, Mohammad Abdul Momen has been appointed as secretary of the Public Security Division of the Home Ministry, Nasimul Gani as secretary of the Public Division of the President's Office and MA Akmal Hossain Azad as secretary of the Railway Ministry.
All five appointees were recruited to the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1982. They retired before the 2018 general elections.
After taking charge on 9 August, the interim government announced major state reforms. Since then, it cancelled the contractual appointments of many secretaries and transferred some others.
On 14 August, the interim government terminated the contracts of 10 secretaries or officials of equivalent rank and also sent another secretary to compulsory retirement.
Jahangir Alam, secretary of the Public Security Division at the Ministry of Home Affairs, was sent to compulsory retirement. He was facing allegations of being involved in election interference and a violent crackdown on quota reform protesters.
Other secretaries, appointed on contracts, are expected to be terminated by the interim government as well.
There has been long-standing dissatisfaction among administration officials regarding contractual appointments, as many qualified individuals were overlooked in favour of temporary appointees.