A substantial realignment of government portfolios is underway in Dhaka, marked by high-profile reassignments and the induction of prominent political figures across several key ministries. Central to the reshuffle is the transfer of Afroza Khanam, who will relinquish her role at the helm of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism to take charge of the Ministry of Food. The executive changes were confirmed by multiple senior cabinet sources ahead of the formal swearing-in ceremony scheduled at the historic Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban.
Under the government’s revised administrative framework, Rashiduzzaman Millat, the incumbent State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, is set to be elevated to full cabinet rank, granting him complete ministerial oversight of the aviation and tourism portfolio. The restructuring simultaneously resolves overlapping ministerial duties currently handled by Md Abdul Bari. Bari, who has been managing the Food Ministry alongside his duties as State Minister for Public Administration, will step back from the food portfolio upon Khanam’s appointment to focus entirely on public administrative governance.
The broader cabinet shake-up signals a strategic recalibration of administrative leadership, drawing in seasoned politicians and coalition allies to head pivotal state organs. Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, a member of the BNP Standing Committee, has been designated to lead the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives. His appointment places an experienced hand in charge of rural infrastructure, decentralisation, and civic administration.
Media and state communications will see significant adjustments as well, with Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partha poised to take charge of the Ministry of Information. In parallel, internal consultations point towards appointing Zahir Uddin Swapon as an adviser to the Prime Minister, a posting that carries the formal rank and protocol status of a cabinet minister.
Further appointments span regional governance and community affairs. Saching Prue Jerry is slated to assume leadership of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, whilst Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln has been lined up to take charge as State Minister for Religious Affairs. The diplomatic corps is also undergoing realignments. Humayun Kabir, currently serving as Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister, is under active consideration for formal induction as State Minister for Foreign Affairs. He is expected to work alongside Shama Obaed Islam, who will remain in her current post as State Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The formal oath-taking for the incoming ministers and state ministers will take place at Bangabhaban on Friday evening, following the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Together, the portfolio shifts and new appointments represent an extensive restructuring of the executive branch, combining bureaucratic adjustments with political reorganisation across the central government.
