Yunus expands Bangladesh interim govt to face challenges

Dhaka: Four more experts, including a leading economist and a retired army general, were on Friday included in Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the first expansion of the caretaker setup since it took office a little more than a week ago.

President Shahabuddin Ahmed administered the oaths of office and secrecy to the four advisers at a ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban or the presidential palace. The four new faces are economist Wahiduddin Mahmud, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumdar, retired power secretary Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan and Lt Gen (retired) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.

A 17-member interim government led by Yunus was sworn in on August 8, three days after former premier Sheikh Hasina stepped down and fled to India, creating a power vacuum that was marked by violence in different parts of Bangladesh.

Mahmud served as an adviser or de facto minister in the caretaker government formed in 1996, while Majumdar was appointed as special assistant to Yunus. Chowdhury, a former three-star general, headed the Bangladesh Rifles, a paramilitary force responsible for guarding the borders.

The first meeting of the advisory council led by Yunus had taken several key decisions, including the preparation of a list of all contractual appointments made by Hasina’s regime. The interim government subsequently cancelled the contractual appointments of 10 secretaries and the principal secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Tofazzel Hossain Miah, to overhaul the administration.

The interim government is grappling with major economic challenges left by Hasina’s government, including high inflation, depleting foreign reserves and a liquidity crisis in the banking sector.

The government is also working to restore law and order, especially against the backdrop of reports that opposition party members, who were allegedly the target of Awami League activists, can take revenge.