A major reshuffle is underway at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bangladesh's overseas missions, with several key diplomatic appointments expected to be announced soon.
According to Foreign Ministry sources, the government is set to appoint Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Bangladesh's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, as the next foreign secretary. Human rights expert Irene Khan is expected to succeed him in New York. Officials said the appointment process is in its final stages.
Current Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, who assumed office on June 20 last year, is expected to be appointed Bangladesh's high commissioner to India. If the changes are implemented, it will mark the appointment of the country's third foreign secretary in the past 21 months.
A Foreign Ministry official told Dhaka Tribune that Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury's appointment has been finalized and the notification may be issued at any time.
Under the proposed reshuffle, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah will be posted as permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva. Nahida Sobhan, the current permanent representative in Geneva, is expected to return to Dhaka as rector of the Foreign Service Academy.
The current rector of the academy, Mohammad Abdul Muhith, is set to become Bangladesh's high commissioner to the United Kingdom.
The Foreign Ministry also said AKM Wahiduzzaman, the BNP's secretary for information and technology affairs, is expected to be appointed deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.
Meanwhile, former principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division, Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hasan, has been appointed Bangladesh's ambassador to Portugal.
