Bangladesh cabinet reshuffled

Friday, September 14, 2012 - Dhaka—Seven lawmakers of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance took oath as ministers and state ministers at Bangabhaban on Thursday afternoon. Of them, Awami League leader Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Jatiya Samaj tantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu, Whip Mujibul Haque, AL lawmakers Mosta fa Faruque Mohammad of Jessore-2 constituency and A H Mahmood Ali of Dinajpur-4 are made ministers.

Awami League lawmakers Omor Faruk Chowdhury of Rajshahi-1 constituency and Abdul Hyee of Jhenidah-1 took oath as state ministers. President Zillur Rahman administered the oath at 3:20pm in the presence of the prime minister at his official residence Bangabhaban. Earlier, Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed and President of Workers Party of Bangladesh Rashed Khan Menon have decided not to join the cabinet. With only a year left for the government before its term ends, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to reshuffle the cabinet by incorporating seven new faces including Tofail and Menon. After all the seven took the oath of office, the size of the cabinet including the prime minister is 51. This is the third expansion of the cabinet. The premier last expanded her cabinet on November 28, 2011 by incorporating Suranjit Sengupta, now minister without portfolio, and Obaidul Quader, minister for communications and railways. After the AL’s landslide victory in 2008 parliamentary election, Hasina formed her cabinet with 31 members 23 ministers and eight state ministers. On January 24, 2009, she included six more fresh faces a minister and five state ministers in the council of ministers and reshuffled 10 portfolios.—Star