One more adviser is expected to take the oath on Wednesday as the interim government, led by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, prepares to expand the Advisory Council.
The decision was made during a meeting of the Advisory Council on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the Chief Adviser, briefed the media at the Foreign Service Academy, saying: “Professor Chowdhury R Abrar is set to be sworn in as a new adviser. He is expected to take charge as the Education Adviser.”
Shafiqul Alam mentioned that the oath-taking ceremony is likely to be held at 11am at Bangabhaban.
Sources at Bangabhaban also confirmed the timing and said that invitations have already been sent to the guests.
Although the press secretary mentioned only one name, government sources claim that more individuals will be included in the Advisory Council this time.
However, the exact number of new advisers remains uncertain.
Sources said that a special assistant to the Chief Adviser, who currently holds a key position in an important ministry, is expected to be appointed as an adviser.
Earlier, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, M Aminul Islam, announced that he had received an invitation to take the oath at Bangabhaban.
However, after this post came to the attention of the Chief Adviser's office, they contacted him, and the post subsequently disappeared.
New education adviser
Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, widely known as CR Abrar and a former professor of International Relations at Dhaka University, is poised to take the oath as an adviser to the interim government.
Shafiqul Alam said: “We are hopeful that he will take charge of the Ministry of Education. Prof Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud has long expressed concerns about handling two ministries simultaneously. Since he holds significant responsibilities in the Planning Ministry, a new adviser has been appointed to take over the Education Ministry.”
Earlier, CR Abrar was nominated by the president to the search committee responsible for forming a new Election Commission for the interim government.
If CR Abrar assumes charge of the Education Ministry, the Chief Adviser will reassign departmental responsibilities accordingly.
Prof Dr CR Abrar was born on August 17, 1952, in Faridpur. His father was Abdus Sattar Chowdhury, and his mother was Sophia Sultana.
After completing his secondary and higher secondary education at Mirzapur Cadet College, he joined Dhaka University in 1972.
He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of International Relations at Dhaka University.
Later, he obtained an MA in the same subject from the University of Sussex, UK, and a PhD from Griffith University, Australia.
CR Abrar currently serves as the executive director of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RAMRU), a research institute specializing in migration studies.
His research interests include Rohingya refugees, migrant workers, and the citizenship rights of the Urdu-speaking population in Bangladesh.
Prof Abrar also served as the president of the human rights organization Adhikar.
Expansion of Advisory Council
The interim government, led by Prof Muhammad Yunus, took office on August 8 last year.
The size of the Advisory Council was previously expanded on August 16 and November 10. With this latest expansion, scheduled for Wednesday, the council will be expanding for the third time.
Currently, the Advisory Council consists of 22 members, including the Chief Adviser.
Additionally, three special envoys and three special assistants hold advisory ranks, while three deputy minister-ranked special assistants assist the advisers of three ministries.
Meanwhile, Adviser AF Hasan Arif passed away on December 20, and Nahid Islam resigned from the government on February 26 to join politics.
Following Nahid Islam’s resignation, Adviser Mahfuz Alam took charge of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. However, AF Hasan Arif’s position remains vacant.
