Staff Reporter :
All contractual appointments of officials made during the tenure of the recently ousted Awami League government are set to be annulled, according to top administrative sources.
An official notification detailing these cancellations will be issued following the formation of the interim government, sources confirmed.
In addition, there is a growing movement to remove other officials who benefitted from positions granted during the Awami League administration.
Shamsus Sadat Selim, Head of the APD Wing and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, confirmed these developments to journalists.
“All contractual appointments will be cancelled. The notification will be issued once the interim government assumes office. The cancellation orders will be issued simultaneously,” he said.
Officials appointed on a contractual basis during the Awami League government are largely those aligned with the party. Sources indicated that there was a notable increase in such appointments following the 12th National Parliamentary Election. Many officials who were not deemed essential but were trusted by the Awami League government were retained on a contractual basis after the conclusion of their original terms.
The surge in contractual appointments included over
50 officials who were appointed after the election in January 2024.
The sources said there are 85 secretaries and senior secretaries or equivalent officials in the administration, out of whom 19 are on a contractual basis. This includes Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain, NBR Chairman Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul Muneem, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Lokman Hossain Miah, and several others.
According to the Ministry of Public Administration, Public Safety Secretary Mostafizur Rahman was appointed as ‘Chief Advisor’ to the Executive Committee of the Smart Bangladesh Taskforce at the Prime Minister’s Office for two years. Additionally, the tenure of former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was extended for another year on a contract basis on July 5.
Cabinet Secretary Md. Mahbub Hossain’s contract is set to end in October, but if the interim government cancels contractual appointments, he may not remain in position until then.
Several senior officials at the Secretariat, expressed their frustration to journalists saying many of them dream of becoming secretaries and holding significant ministry positions.
“However, due to the proliferation of contractual appointments, many are denied this opportunity. This is unacceptable,” they said.
They further explained that contractual appointments deprive deserving officials of their rightful positions.
Given the change in government, key positions have already seen cancellations. On August 7, the contract of IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was terminated. Similarly, the former Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary, Md. Tofazzel Hossain Miah’s contract was also annulled.