Dhaka: Four new faces have been inducted into the cabinet as ministers, while two others have taken on roles as state ministers. Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, a BNP Standing Committee member and Narsingdi-2 lawmaker, Andaleeve Rahman Partho, BJP chairman and Bhola-1 MP, Bandarban MP Saching Prue, and State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Rashiduzzaman Millat have been sworn in as new ministers.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humaiun Kobir and Gaibandha-4 lawmaker Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln were sworn in as new state ministers. The oath-taking ceremony was administered by the newly appointed President, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban at 7:45 pm. This ceremony marked the expansion of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cabinet six months after the government was formed, thus adding five more members to the Council of Ministers.

The ceremony was conducted by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani. Tarique Rahman, who took the oath as prime minister on February 17, following his party’s success in the February 12 election, initially formed his government with a 49-member cabinet. This included himself, 25 other ministers, and 23 state ministers, all sworn in on the same day.

The cabinet’s composition underwent a change when Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Minister Dipen Dewan resigned on June 1, citing health reasons. With Mirza Fakhrul stepping into the role of President, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives will now be left vacant. The latest expansion brings the total number of cabinet members to 52, comprising 27 ministers and 24 state ministers.