The BNP-led government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has wasted no time launching a brazen campaign of nepotism and aggressive politicisation across Bangladesh’s bureaucracy, armed forces, police, and city corporationsโbarely a week into power following the staged elections of February 12.
What the regime cynically labels as necessary “restructuring” is in reality a ruthless purge designed to reward party loyalists, install cronies in key positions, and punish or sideline anyone associated with the previous Yunus interim administration or seen as ideologically unreliable.
Inside the Secretariat, an atmosphere of sheer panic prevails as officers desperately scramble to prove their allegiance to the new rulers. Bureaucrats who once thrived under the Yunus regime or even earlier Awami League governments are now frantically reinventing themselvesโdigging up old Chhatra Dal connections from their student days, forging ties with influential BNP leaders, or loudly boasting to colleagues about their supposed closeness to newly elected MPs.
This frantic brown-nosing is driven by widespread fear of imminent transfers, being placed on OSD status (effectively sidelined with no real duties), or facing politically motivated investigations.
Tarique Rahman, personally holding the public administration portfolio, is orchestrating this vendetta-fueled overhaul with an iron grip. The opening move came with the appointment of retired 1982-batch officer M.A. Sattar on a contract basis as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Officeโa transparent favour to a figure aligned with BNP interests.
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On February 23, three senior secretaries were abruptly removed from critical posts and dumped into the Ministry of Public Administration as “attached” officers with no specific assignments, a humiliating limbo that strips them of authority and signals their fall from grace: Md. Saiful Islam Panna from the Prime Minister’s Office, Rehana Parvin from the Secondary and Higher Education Division in the Ministry of Education, and Md. Kamal Uddin from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Sheikh Abdur Rashid and Principal Secretary to the PMO M. Sirajuddin Mia conveniently resigned mid-contract, conveniently clearing space for loyal replacements.
The purge extends far beyond civilian administration. The army has already undergone a sweeping top-level reshuffle, with Lieutenant General M. Mainur Rahman installed as Chief of General Staff, Brig. Gen. Kaisar Rashid Chowdhury was promoted to major general and appointed as the new DGFI chief, and several other sensitive commands were reassigned.
These changes are widely viewed as a calculated effort to consolidate Tarique’s personal control over the military by removing officers linked to the Yunus era or previous regimes and placing trusted figures in intelligence and operational roles.
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The police force faces similar impending upheaval, with sources warning of large-scale transfers and promotions aimed at packing the ranks with BNP sympathisers to ensure loyalty.
In an even more blatant display of partisanship, the government has directly appointed active BNP leaders as administrators in six major city corporationsโincluding Dhaka South’s Md. Abdus Salam, a veteran Tarique coordinator, and Gazipur’s Shawkat Hossain Sarkar, president of Gazipur Metropolitan BNP. These overtly political appointments, coming just before promised local elections, amount to a naked attempt to rig the electoral playing field and misuse public institutions for party advantage.
Contract-based appointments made during the Yunus interim periodโaround 18 senior secretaries and secretariesโare now squarely in the crosshairs, with many expected to be terminated after Eid-ul-Fitr.
While some face allegations of irregularities and abuse of power, the primary driver appears to be ideological cleansing: rewarding those who “suffered” under previous governments while eliminating those who rose during the interim tenure. Mass transfers are also underway, including 112 officers in the Election Commission Secretariat and field levels, set to take effect by March 1, as part of a broader effort to embed BNP-aligned personnel ahead of future polls.
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This sweeping takeover represents textbook politicisation at its most destructiveโtransforming once-merit-based institutions into patronage networks where loyalty to the ruling party trumps competence, integrity, or national interest.
The Bangladesh Administration Service Association weakly calls for emphasis on honesty, efficiency, and merit, but the reality on the ground is unmistakable: political allegiance now dictates survival and advancement.
Former Secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan’s timid plea to give the new government time rings hollow against this aggressive, ideologically driven power grab that threatens to turn Bangladesh’s state machinery into a permanent BNP fiefdom, bleeding independence and professionalism dry in the name of partisan revenge and control.
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