Cabinet expands today
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will expand her cabinet today by inducting at least two more lawmakers into the 49-member council of ministers.
AH Mahmud Ali, who served as foreign minister in the polls-time government led by Hasina, will be given the same portfolio, highly placed sources in the Awami League and the government told The Daily Star yesterday.
Col (retd) Mohammad Najrul Islam, elected from Narsingdi-1 in January 5 national polls, will be made a state minister. However, it could not be learnt which portfolio he would get.
According to party sources, names of a few other ruling party MPs, including former home minister Major (retd) Rafiqul Islam, have cropped up in the run-up to the expansion.
President Abdul Hamid will administer the oaths at the Bangabhaban at 12:00 noon. The prime minister, members of her cabinet and senior civil and military officials will be present at the function.
Ali was inducted into Hasina's previous cabinet as relief and disaster management minister in September 2012.
He was elected from Dinajpur-4 (Chirirbandar-Khansama) on January 16, 11 days after the 10th parliamentary election as voting at 57 polling centres in the constituency had been marred by violence and disruption, forcing the Election Commission to order re-polls.
Earlier on January 12, AL President Sheikh Hasina formed the cabinet with lawmakers from four other parties -- Jatiya Party, Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and Jatiya Party-Manju -- besides those from her party.
The existing cabinet has 29 full ministers, excluding the PM, 17 state ministers and two deputy ministers. Of the ministers, only four have been elected through votes, while the rest have been elected uncontested.
Two technocrats have also made it to the cabinet -- Matiur Rahman as religious affairs minister and Yeafesh Osman as state minister for science and technology.
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