Cabinet secy resigns

Cabinet secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid, who was serving on a contractual basis, has resigned.

Speaking to The Daily Star last night, he said, “I had informed the government of my wish to resign before the elections, and it has been implemented today.”

However, he declined to comment on the specific reason for his resignation.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification yesterday appointing M Siraz Uddin Miah, principal secretary to the chief adviser, to the additional charge of cabinet secretary. Earlier, the ministry had cancelled Rashid’s contract.

The cabinet secretary, the highest-ranking official in the republic, oversees the entire process of a new government’s swearing-in and is also responsible for conducting the oath-taking ceremony.

Many in the administration have expressed surprise at his resignation just two days before the next government takes office.

After Muhammad Yunus’s interim government took charge, Rashid was appointed secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division on a contractual basis.

On October 14, 2024, he was appointed cabinet secretary on a two-year contract.