Cabinet reshuffle, five new members, who will get which ministry

The first reshuffle of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government’s cabinet is set to take place after Friday evening.

In the expected reshuffle, BNP standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan may be given charge of the Ministry of Local Government. Andaleev Rahman Partho, chairman of the BNP’s alliance partner Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), is set to get the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir is also set to join the cabinet.

Besides this, some other changes are also being made in the cabinet, according to several high-level government sources.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will take oath as president at Bangabhaban this evening. New cabinet members are expected to take oath immediately afterwards. Abdul Moyeen Khan, one of the BNP’s senior leaders, is set to get the Ministry of Local Government, which Mirza Fakhrul is leaving.

Several high-level government sources said that, besides Moyeen Khan, Andalib Rahman and Humayun Kabir, Saching Prue Jeri and Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln are also joining the cabinet. Humayun Kabir may be given charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Saching Prue Jeri and Mohammad Shamim Kaiser are members of the BNP executive committee and members of parliament. Saching Prue Jeri is set to get the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, while Shamim Kaiser Lincoln is set to serve as state minister for the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Sources concerned said Zahir Uddin Swapon, currently serving as minister for the Information Ministry, is becoming an adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Current State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Rashiduzzaman Millat is set to become a full minister. The current minister of this ministry, Afroza Khanam (Rita), may be given charge of another ministry.

The new president will administer the oath to the new ministers after taking his own oath. The Cabinet Division has already contacted several potential ministers and state ministers. They have been requested to be present at Bangabhaban in the evening.