4 new faces set to join cabinet as several receive calls

Four more members are set to join the cabinet of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) government led by Tarique Rahman. Prothom Alo has confirmed three of their names.

Sources concerned said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will take oath as president today, Friday evening and the new cabinet members are expected to take oath shortly afterwards.

Government and BNP sources said Abdul Moyeen Khan, Andaleeve Rahman Partho and Saching Prue Jeri are set to take oath as ministers today, Friday. Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln is being considered for the post of state minister.

Sources concerned said the president will administer the oath to three new ministers and one state minister. The Cabinet Division has contacted several of the potential ministers and state ministers and requested them to be present at Bangabhaban in the evening.

When contacted, Saching Prue Jeri told Prothom Alo, “I have been called. I have been asked to be at Bangabhaban around 7:30pm. That is all I can say.”

Abdul Moyeen Khan, whose name is on the list of new ministers, is a member of the BNP standing committee. He is a member of parliament from Narsingdi-2. In the 13th parliamentary election held in February, he was elected from the constituency as a BNP candidate.

Andaleeve Rahman Partho is chairman of the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP). His party contested the election in alliance with the BNP. He is a member of parliament from Bhola-1.

Saching Prue Jeri is a member of parliament from Bandarban. He is convener of the BNP’s Bandarban district unit. He was elected from Bandarban as a BNP candidate in the last parliamentary election.

Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln, whose name is being discussed for the post of state minister, is a member of parliament from Gaibandha-4 (Gobindaganj).

When the government was formed under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in February, there were 50 members of the cabinet, including the prime minister. Of them, 25 took oath as ministers and 24 as state ministers, apart from the prime minister.

Besides, the prime minister has 10 advisers. Five of them are serving with the rank of minister and five with the rank of state minister. They are not members of the cabinet.

If three ministers and one state minister take oath today, the number of cabinet members, including the prime minister, will rise to 54. Of them, 28 will be ministers and 25 state ministers, apart from the prime minister.