PM chairs meeting on religious, social harmony

He meets long-serving staff at PMO

FE Team | Published: February 21, 2026 23:45:05

A meeting on strengthening religious and social harmony was held at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in Tejgaon on Saturday afternoon.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman presided over the meeting, reports UNB citing a PMO media release.
Ministers, state ministers and relevant senior officials attended the meeting held at the Cabinet Conference Room of the PMO.
The Prime Minister began work at the PMO on Saturday for the first time after assuming office.
Though it was a public holiday, he went to the office at 10:10am, where Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar and Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon received him.
According to bdnews24.com, at the PMO Tarique Rahman spoke with several long-serving employees at his office after recognising them from previous years of service.
After arriving at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon, he exchanged greetings with officials and staff, calling over a number of familiar faces for a conversation.
Additional Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Ruman said the prime minister recognised several employees who had served during Khaleda Zia's tenure nearly 19 years ago.
He called them by name, spoke with them and enquired about their families, Ruman added.
Ruman noted that Tarique first took part in a tree-planting ceremony in the office garden before entering the building, where officials and staff offered their greetings in line.
"At that moment, the prime minister spotted an employee standing in the line from a distance and called him by name," he said. "The employee immediately crossed the security cordon and ran towards him. They shook hands, and the prime minister asked about his family.
"He also called several other employees by name and spoke with them."
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia previously used this building as her office after securing an absolute majority in the 2001 general elections.
The additional press secretary mentioned that some of these staff members, who were young during the former prime minister's tenure, now have grey hair, yet Tarique made no mistake in identifying them.
He spoke to them personally by name, leaving "the employees deeply moved and other officials struck by his magnanimity and conduct".
Afterwards, Tarique entered the "Red Block", where his chamber is located. He took his seat and, in line with the day's schedule, unveiled a commemorative postage stamp marking International Mother Language Day.
He then joined a cabinet meeting, Ruman said.