Bangladesh government forcibly retires 32 joint secretaries linked to previous administration

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The Bangladeshi government has mandated the compulsory retirement of 32 joint secretaries, marking a significant administrative purge aimed at officials who held key positions under the ousted Awami League administration. The Ministry of Public Administration issued individual gazette notifications on Monday confirming the dismissals, citing the public interest as the primary driver for the decision.

Many of the officials affected by the order served as district commissioners and returning officers during the widely criticized 2018 national elections. The government’s move follows a recent pattern of administrative restructuring, which has seen more than 50 senior police officers forcibly retired in three separate waves over the past few weeks due to their perceived affiliations with the previous regime.

According to the official notifications, the government invoked the Public Service Act to enact these retirements, noting that each of the 32 officials has completed at least 25 years of service. Under the provisions of the current law, the government retains the authority to retire any civil servant who has reached the 25-year service milestone if it deems such action necessary.

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While the officials are being removed from their active roles, the government confirmed that they will remain entitled to standard retirement benefits as stipulated by civil service regulations. The list of those retired includes high-ranking bureaucrats such as Mazedur Rahman Khan, Abul Fazal Mir, Aslam Hossain, and Nazia Shirin, among others.