5 more advisers inducted into caretaker govt

5 more advisers inducted
into caretaker govt
Staff Correspondent,New Age ,Dhaka
The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, on Tuesday appointed five more advisers to the caretaker government, taking to 10 the number of members of the cabinet headed by Fakhruddin Ahmed.
The interim cabinet at night decided to prepare a proposal, covering all the issues related to holding of credible elections, to be placed before major political parties.
The advisers are former secretary Ayub Quadri, former chief of police and Rapid Action Battalion Anwarul Iqbal, retired major general Matiur Rahman, who was consultant to the national AIDS programme, Bangladesh ambassador to the UN permanent mission in New York Ifthekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, and Faiz Khan, an information technology expert, a government handout said.
Iajuddin administered oath of office to the three of the five new advisers at a simple ceremony at the Bangabhaban at about 8 pm.
Five advisers took oath on January 13, a day after the chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, was sworn in on January 12, after the resignation of Iajuddin as chief adviser on January 11.
The advisers sworn in on January 13 are Mainul Hosein, AB Mirza Azizul Islam, MA Matin, Tapan Chowdhury and Geetiara Safiya Chowdhury.
The president also declared state of emergency throughout the country on January 11.
Ifthekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and Faiz Khan could not take oath as they were staying abroad. They would be sworn in as soon as they return home.
The ninth parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for January 22, stand cancelled with the announcement of the emergency.
Ayub Quadri served the government as secretary to a number of ministries, including water resources, agriculture and Economic Relations Division. Iqbal served as inspector general of police and director general of the RAB. He resigned from the post of IGP during the immediate past caretaker administration headed by the president.
Dr Iftekar Ahmed Chowhdury is a career diplomat and currently ambassador and representative to the Bangladesh’s permanent mission in United Nations.
Chowdhury, who was enjoying a third-time contract in government service, is likely to arrive in Dhaka today.
Faiz Khan, an IT specialist and consultant who worked for the customs administration and modernisation project at the National Board of Revenue, is also abroad.
Reportedly a US citizen, Khan worked as consultant for the controversial machine readable passport piloted by the home affairs ministry, according to sources.
The cabinet meanwhile sat at a meeting at night and decided to prepare a proposal, covering all the issues related to holding of credible elections, to be placed before major political parties seeking their views to end the political standoff.
‘We will deal with the matters seriously so that we can resolve them shortly in consultation with all concerned,’ the adviser in charge of the industries ministry, Geetiara Safiya Chowdhury, told New Age after the meeting.
The meeting presided over by the chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, also reviewed the overall situation, giving special focus on law and order, preparation of national identity cards, independence of the judiciary, fertiliser and power crisis, de-politicisation of the administration, according to official sources.
The meeting asked the home affairs ministry for immediate measures to check smuggling of fertiliser to a neighbouring country.
The newly appointed advisers and the secretaries concerned attended the meeting in the Chief Adviser’s Office.
This was the second meeting of the interim cabinet after Fakhruddin had taken over as chief of the caretaker administration.