On Thursday, Bangladesh's caretaker administration, headed by Muhammad Yunus, made a key adjustment within the foreign ministry, temporarily reassigning responsibilities amid uncertainty surrounding Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin’s role.
According to an official order issued by the foreign ministry, senior diplomat M Ruhul Alam Siddique has been designated to oversee the routine functions of the foreign secretary until further notice, following Jashim Uddin’s decision to step aside.
The directive, which was signed by a ministry director general, says the changes come into force from May 23 and were made "in the public interest."
This change is occurring in the midst of swirling media reports that Uddin had been ousted from his job about two weeks earlier for unstated reasons. Quoting sources who are not identified, The Daily Star has recently published a report of confusion and speculation within the ministry over Uddin's status. The report also added that retired diplomat Sufiur Rahman—who was appointed last month as special assistant to the chief adviser on foreign affairs with the junior minister rank—has yet to take up his new position.
Uddin, a career foreign service officer, was named Bangladesh's 27th foreign secretary in September 2024 following the ousting of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, which fell in a student-led movement in August that year.
Contrary to the rumours, Foreign Affairs Adviser M Touhid Hossain made clear on Wednesday that Uddin's resignation from the position was not a dismissal. "He (Jashim) wants to relinquish this responsibility for some reasons. He is still in government service, so the position will change — but there is no question of dismissal," Hossain informed reporters. A former foreign secretary himself, Hossain asked the media to await an official announcement regarding Uddin's replacement.
In the meantime, the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo said operational disruptions have been witnessed within the foreign ministry as the transition at the top continues to drag on. Insider sources disclosed that internal, inter-ministerial, and international work has been impacted, with a shadow of uncertainty prevailing for more than ten days.
While Uddin was away, some responsibilities had informally been passed on to another top bureaucrat on the verbal instruction of the foreign affairs adviser. In particular, Uddin skipped official and diplomatic appearances in the past few days. Last week, Bangladesh had been represented at the level of foreign secretary in Tokyo to a meeting with Japan by another official—a break from a five-decade-old practice.
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