Five poised for caretaker jobs

Dhaka, Jan 7 (bdprem.com) –Five advisers poised to fill as many cabinet vacancies will be sworn into office Wednesday. Several officials, asking not to be named, said the Bangabhaban is ready for a 6pm swearing-in ceremony. Your Ad Here The government has already handpicked the five people from different sectors for the new jobs, the officials said. The widely heard names are economist and former BIDS senior research fellow Hossain Zillur Rahman, former secretary AMM Shawkat Ali, retired major general Golam Quader, former ADAB director and leading NGO official Rasheda K Chowdhury and former attorney general under the four-party coalition government AF Hasan Arif. In a dramatic turn of events, law adviser Mainul Hosein, health adviser ASM Matiur Rahman, power and food adviser Tapan Chowdhury and industry adviser Geeteara Safiya Choudhury quit the Fakhruddin administration Tuesday. Cultural affairs adviser Ayub Quadri was the first to resign his post on Dec 26 after two rare Vishnu statues went missing. The 'resignations', which some top government officials said were forced, came three days before the anniversary of the changeover by the military-backed government. In instant reaction Tuesday, Regulatory Reforms Commission chairman Akbar Ali Khan said the advisers might have been removed from their posts. "Government officials are removed from their posts for failure to do their jobs properly. The same thing may have happened to the advisers," Khan said. "These are routine resignations," he said. The chief adviser's press secretary Syed Fahim Munaim had earlier told bdnews24.com that the swearing-in ceremony for new advisers would take place Wednesday. Munaim did not name the new advisers.