Four ministers and two state ministers were inducted into Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cabinet on Friday, further expanding the government’s ministerial team.
The six newly appointed members took their oaths at the Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban at around 7.45pm. President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir administered the oath in a ceremony attended by senior government figures and political leaders.
The four new ministers are Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Barrister Andalib Rahman Partha, Saching Prue Jerry and M Rashiduzzaman Millat. The two state ministers are Humayun Kabir and Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln.
Dr Moyeen Khan, a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s standing committee and a member of parliament from Narsingdi-2, is among the senior political figures joining the expanded cabinet. Andalib Rahman Partha, chairman of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party and a coalition partner of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, represents Bhola-1 in parliament.
Saching Prue Jerry, convener of the Bandarban district unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is also a member of parliament from the hill district. M Rashiduzzaman Millat, who previously served as a state minister for civil aviation and tourism, represents Jamalpur-1.
Among the two newly appointed state ministers, Humayun Kabir had been serving as the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs. His elevation to the cabinet changes the composition of the prime minister’s advisory team. Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln, meanwhile, is a member of parliament from Gaibandha-4.
The latest appointments come several months after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party formed the government following its victory in the February election. At the time of the government’s formation, the cabinet comprised 50 members, including Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Of those, 25 took the oath as ministers, while 24 were sworn in as state ministers, in addition to the prime minister.
With Friday’s appointments, the total number of cabinet members has risen to 56. The expansion brings additional political representation into the government and gives several experienced lawmakers and party figures new executive responsibilities.
Humayun Kabir’s appointment also leaves nine advisers serving under the prime minister. Five of those advisers hold the status of ministers, while four have the status of state ministers.
The latest reshuffle therefore represents a further adjustment of the government’s executive structure, bringing several senior political figures and lawmakers into formal ministerial positions. Their responsibilities and portfolios will be central to the government’s administration in the coming months as the expanded cabinet takes on its respective areas of work.
