2 new ministers take oath today

At least two new ministers will join Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 49-strong Cabinet on Wednesday. Highly-placed government sources said the two new faces would be Dinajpur-4 MP AH Mahmood Ali, who served as Foreign Minister in the “all-party” election-time government, and Narsinghdi-1 MP Nazrul Islam Hiru, a retired Colonel. Nazrul Islam confirmed getting called by the Cabinet Division. “The Cabinet Secretary called me around 5pm on Tuesday and informed me about the swearing-in at Bangabhaban at 12pm (Wednesday),” he said. He said he had been asked to take oath as a state minister. Asked which portfolio he is getting, Islam said, “I will try my best to carry out the duties the Prime Minister tasks me with.” Meanwhile, no full ministers at present are deputed to home and foreign affairs portfolios. Mahmood Ali is widely tipped to return as the foreign minister, the portfolio which is now overseen by the Prime Minister herself. Nazrul Islam also said that he heard Ali would take oath as the foreign minister. Rajshahi-6 MP Shahriar Alam is currently the State Minister for Foreign Affairs while Dhaka-12 MP Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has been made the State Minister for Home. The current Cabinet, installed on Jan 12, has 29 full ministers, 17 state ministers and two deputy ministers. The announcement to expand the Cabinet comes within a month and a half of its installation. Awami League President Hasina had become the Prime Minister that day for the third time in two decades, according to bdnews24.com.