Three new advisers took oath as members of the interim government on Sunday (10 November), bringing the total number of advisers to 24. The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7:35 pm.
The newly sworn-in advisers include businessman SK Bashir Uddin, Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant Mahfuz Alam and Film Director Mostafa Sarwar Farooki and
Sheikh Bashir Uddin is the managing director of Akij-Bashir Group, a leading industrial conglomerate of the country. He is the son of industrialist Sheikh Akij Uddin.
Mahfuj Alam was one of the coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement which led the student-people mass uprising in July-August. He currently holds the position of special assistant to the chief adviser.
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki is a film director, producer and screenwriter. He became famous for his films 'Third Person Singular Number', 'Television', and 'No Bed of Roses' which were critically acclaimed at home and abroad.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Dr. Yunus, assumed power on 8 August after a student and public uprising led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's regime. The Yunus-led government has now completed three months in office.
Yunus-led government has already completed three months in office.
The current 21-member advisory council is tasked with multiple critical ministerial roles, leading to political criticism about inefficiencies arising from individuals managing several portfolios simultaneously.
Political leaders have argued that this overlap is causing bureaucratic delays and have called for an expansion of the council.
The existing advisory council, led by Dr Yunus, includes former governor of Bangladesh Bank Salehuddin Ahmed, Dr Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University's Law Department, Adilur Rahman Khan, secretary of the human rights organisation Odhikar, former attorney general AF Hassan Ariff, former foreign secretary Touhid Hossain, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), former election commissioner Brigadier General (retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain, executive director of the NGO Ubinig Farida Akhter, Grameen Telecom Director Noor Jahan Begum, Brac Executive Director Sharmin Murshid, Islamic scholar AFM Khalid Hasan, coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, former ambassador Supradeep Chakma, former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar, decorated veteran Faruq-e-Azam (Bir Pratik), former secretary Muhammad Faozul Kabir Khan, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumdar, economist Wahiduddin Mahmud, and former director general of Bangladesh Rifles, Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury.
