Published: 12:31 AM, 09 July 2026
Big changes just round the corner in Foreign Ministry
Five months after taking office, the BNP government has decided on a major reshuffle in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As part of the move, the government is set to appoint a new Foreign Secretary, along with new representatives for Bangladesh's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, the High Commissions in New Delhi and London, and the Permanent Mission in Geneva. Among these appointments, the postings to New York and London are being made on political considerations.
A government policymaker confirmed the planned changes to journalists on Tuesday.
After assuming office in February, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government ordered four ambassadors who had been appointed on contract during the tenure of the interim government to return to Bangladesh. Over the past three months, it has also appointed four career diplomats and one senior military officer as ambassadors to five different countries.
According to multiple senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Bangladesh's current Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, has been selected as the next Foreign Secretary. The current Foreign Secretary, Asad Alam Siam, is expected to become Bangladesh's next High Commissioner to India.
The current High Commissioner to India, M. Riaz Hamidullah, will be posted as Bangladesh's Permanent Representative in Geneva. Nahida Sobhan, who currently serves as Permanent Representative in Geneva, will return to Dhaka to become Rector of the Foreign Service Academy.
It may be recalled that Asad Alam, Bangladesh's former Ambassador to Washington, became Foreign Secretary on June 20, 2025, succeeding Md. Jashim Uddin. Following the political transition in August 2024, the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus had appointed Jashim Uddin, the former Ambassador to China, as Foreign Secretary. However, he was removed from the post after serving for nine months.
The government has decided to appoint Irene Khan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and an internationally renowned human rights activist, as Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. Several ministry officials indicated that the former Secretary General of Amnesty International may assume her new responsibilities before the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
When asked when these changes would take effect, several senior government officials said that the five key appointments, including that of the Foreign Secretary, are interconnected. Therefore, the implementation of the other appointments is likely to be coordinated with the timing of Irene Khan's assumption of office in New York.
The post of Bangladesh's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom has remained vacant since March. The government has decided to appoint Mohammad Abdul Muhith, the current Rector of the Foreign Service Academy and former Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, as the new High Commissioner to London.
It has also been learned that A.K.M. Wahiduzzaman (Apelo), the BNP's Secretary for Information and Technology Affairs, is expected to be appointed as Deputy Permanent Representative at Bangladesh's Mission to the United Nations in New York.
The government has decided to appoint M. Farhadul Islam, Secretary (Intergovernmental Organizations) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as Bangladesh's next Ambassador to Mauritius, replacing Jaki Ahad. The government has already appointed Jaki Ahad as Bangladesh's next Ambassador to Denmark.
Since taking office on February 18, the BNP government has appointed new ambassadors to three countries. Besides Jaki Ahad, the newly appointed ambassadors are Nur-e Alam to Ireland and A.F.M. Zahidul Islam to Argentina. In addition, Lieutenant General S.M. Kamrul Hasan, former Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of the Armed Forces Division, has been appointed Ambassador to Portugal.
At present, the positions of Bangladesh's ambassadors to Singapore and Iran remain vacant.
Soon after forming the government, in early March, the BNP administration decided to recall the ambassadors to Portugal, Poland, Mexico, and the Maldives who had been appointed on contractual terms during the interim government's tenure. Separate orders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed Bangladesh's ambassadors to Portugal, Poland, Mexico, and the Maldives-M. Mahfuzul Haque, Md. Moinul Islam, M. Mushfiqul Fazal (Ansarey), and Md. Nazmul Islam, respectively-to return to Dhaka.
Of those four contract-based ambassadors appointed during the interim government, three complied with the government's directive and returned to Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh's High Commissioner to the Maldives, Md. Nazmul Islam, has not yet returned. He has submitted an application to the government and continues to remain at his post.
The government is reportedly reconsidering the appointment of Riaz Hamidullah to Geneva, according to reliable sources. Insiders suggest that he may be recalled to Bangladesh to serve as the Rector of the Foreign Service Academy, or alternatively, reassigned as an ambassador to a Middle Eastern nation. Diplomatic sources noted his extensive expertise in Islamic studies and bonds with Islamic parties with a particular specialization in Sufism.
