As some very important posts of Bangladesh missions abroad are going to be vacant, the interim government has a major challenge to give posting of new diplomats based on merit, experience, talent, skill, and most importantly expectation of Dr Mohammad Yunus who has a vision to turn Bangladesh into secular, prosperous, progressive and human country, said diplomats, policy makers and business leaders.

Md Jashim Uddin, currently serving as the Bangladesh Ambassador to China and a career diplomat of 13th BCS, is set to become next Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh next week as the contract of Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen was cancelled last Sunday. Md Jashim Uddin has also been instructed to return to Dhaka.

Sources said Maritime Affairs Secretary Rear Admiral (Retd.) Md. Khurshed Alam has been entrusted with the responsibility of Foreign Secretary until  Md Jashim Uddin returns home.

Earlier he was the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Greece, with concurrent accreditation to Malta and Albania. In his illustrious diplomatic career, Ambassador Jashim has the experience of serving at different Bangladesh Missions such as New Delhi, Tokyo, Washington DC and Islamabad in different capacities.  Also at the headquarters, he held important positions like Director General of both South Asia and East Asia & Pacific Wings.

Ambassador Jashim obtained his Bachelor and Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Dhaka. He also obtained a Master’s degree in Modern International Studies from University of Leeds in England. He completed NDC course from National Defense College in Dhaka in 2014.

Under the able leadership of Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin, Bangladesh Embassy in Athens received the prestigious Public Administration Award in 2018 for bringing about innovative changes to ensure efficient consular service delivery.

Sheikh Hasina, the brutal dictator Prime Minister of Bangladesh, used Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on personal ground on some occasions that resulted in poor diplomacy damaging reputation of Bangladesh, sources said. 

The political posting of diplomats without skill and professionalism in Bangladesh missions abroad in the past stood  in the way of getting the best service that the country expected, said policymakers and diplomats. 

With political change on August 5, 2024, the Bangladesh government has recalled some diplomats serving the missions of Berlin, Tokyo and Jeddah, and return to the country, leaving that posts vacant.   

President of Bangladesh Foreign Service Association (BFSA) Dr Md  Nazrul Islam in a proposal to Foreign Adviser  Mr. Md. Touhid Hossain demanded political postings to Bangladesh missions should be reduced to the level of 5-10 percent of the total posting   

Former Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Humayun Kabir while talking to this correspondent said that the government should give postings in some important positions like New Delhi, Washington DC, NY, Brussels, and London on the basis of professionalism and skill with a view to getting the best service.

Humayun Kabir, a freedom fighter and a former career diplomat, said that India and the USA are two strategic, trading and development partners of Bangladesh and the new interim government should give posting on the basis of professionalism and skill.

Sources said the government does give 30 percent of total postings in Bangladesh missions abroad on the political ground with rest posts being filled by the career diplomats. The economy of Bangladesh has been left in derailed conditions by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In terms of cumulative FDI over the last 50 years, the USA still holds the top position in Bangladesh.

The USA is the single largest destination of Bangladeshi goods holding the top position in terms of FDI.  In the changed environment, Dhaka will maintain special relations with Washington also, said a diplomat.    

India is an important trading and strategical partner of Bangladesh and the proper nursing of relations with neighbouring  countries is also crucial , said  a bureaucrat of the government.

Sheikh Hasina, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and later turned into a brutal dictator, had been a trusted and reliable partner of the India government during January 7, 2009-August 5, 2024. The end of Sheikh Hasina’s regime has been a major shock to the Indian government, and the policymakers, and Dhaka will nurture relations with New Delhi meticulously to reach the ties in the coming days on a win–win basis, a Bangladesh diplomat in Dhaka.

Sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Bangladesh Ambassador to USA Dr Muhammad Imran, Bangladesh Ambassador to Belgium Mahbub Hassan Saleh, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Australia M Allama Siddiki, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Dr Md. Mustafizur Rahman, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Bangladesh Ambassador to Kuwait  Major General Syed Tareq Hussain and Bangladesh Ambassador to Portugal Rezina Ahmed are expected to return to Dhaka this year.

Sources said Mohammad Sufiur Rahman---- a career diplomat of the 9th batch of BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre-- has been tipped one of the most competent diplomats to  serve the New Delhi mission with expectation of the interim government.

Md Sufiur Rahman was Bangladesh Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

Earlier, he served in Bangladesh High Commission, New Delhi and Islamabad and in Bangladesh Permanent Mission to UN, Geneva in various capacities.

He also served in the SAARC Secretariat as a Director.

Rahman, a career diplomat, belongs to the 9th batch of BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre.

He graduated in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), Dhaka.

Later, he also achieved an MBA degree from IBA of Dhaka University.

Meanwhile, M. Riaz Hamidullah, a career diplomat of 15th BCS of BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre-- has been tipped one of the most competent diplomats to serve Bangladesh mission either in New Delhi, Washington or New York Permanent Representative office or London, sources said.    

M. Riaz Hamidullah earned a bachelor’s and postgraduate degree in Economics in India and Bangladesh. He later joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1995 and served a good part of his career in the area of multilateral economic diplomacy. Regarding his assignments abroad, he first served at the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN in New York from 1999 to 2003. It was not long afterward that he became a mid-career political officer at the Bangladesh Mission in New Delhi, India from 2003 to 2005.

In the period between 2005 and 2011, Mr. Riaz focused on South Asian regional cooperation. This includes a three-and-a-half-year stint as Director in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat in Kathmandu. While holding this position, he dealt with, inter alia, regional agriculture and rural development, transport connectivity, the SAARC Development Fund, and the development of regional projects. In addition, he contributed towards the development and reorganization of SAARC institutions and processes.

Abida Islam, a career  diplomat of 15th BCS of BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre-- has been tipped one of the most competent diplomats to  serve Bangladesh mission either in Washington or New York Permanent Representative office,  London or Brussels or Tokyo, sources  said    

Abida Islam, currently serving as the Bangladesh Ambassador to Mexico, previously served as the Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Republic of Korea.

She was also concurrently accredited to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Ms. Abida Islam is a career foreign service officer who belongs to the 15th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Foreign Affairs cadre. She served in various capacities in Bangladesh Missions in London, Colombo, Brussels, and Kolkata in her distinguished diplomatic career. At the headquarters, she worked in multiple wings in different capacities.

Ms. Abida Islam obtained her Master’s degree in Sociology from Dhaka University and also another Master’s on Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University, Australia.

Md Shameem Ahsan, currently serving as Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia, Khondker M Talha, currently serving as Bangladesh Ambassador to France,  Asad Alam Siam, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations (Vienna) and Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are also competent diplomats to serve important missions abroad.

 Additional Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Syed Masud Mahmood Khundoker (10th BCS batch), Md Shameem Ahsan, currently serving as Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia, Khondker M Talha, currently serving as Bangladesh Ambassador to France,  Asad Alam Siam, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations (Vienna) and Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are competent diplomats to serve important missions abroad.

Meanwhile, Asad Alam Siam, a career diplomat of the 15th BCS, is Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations (Vienna). During his career, Siam has served in various capacities, among them:

Inspector General of Missions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2022-present); Rector, Foreign Service Academy, Dhaka (2021-2022); Ambassador, Embassy in Manila, the Philippines (2018-2021); Chief of Protocol (2014-2017); Director General, Europe Wing (2013-2014); Consul General, Consulate General in Milan, Italy (2011-2013); Assistant High Commissioner in Manchester, United Kingdom (2008-2011); Director, Foreign Minister’s Office (2006-2007); Director, Foreign Secretary’s Office (2005-2006); Counsellor, Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand (2002-2005); First Secretary, Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia (1999-2002); and Assistant Secretary, Ministry (1995-1999).

Meanwhile, Khondker M Talha, a career diplomat of the 15th BCS batch of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS), is now Bangladesh Ambassador to France.

In his overseas assignments, he served at the Bangladesh Permanent Missions to the UN in New York and Geneva, where he was elected to the bureau of a number of UN and international organizations.

He was also posted to the Bangladesh missions in Tehran and London during his diplomatic career.

Previously, he also served as the chief of protocol and worked at the South Asia and Multilateral Economic Affairs wings of the ministry in various capacities.

Talha holds a Masters degree in Economics from Dhaka University, an MBA from DU’s Institute of Business Administration, and another Masters in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University, Melbourne.

Meanwhile, Md.  Shameem Ahsan, also career diplomat of the 13th BCS batch, is now High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Malaysia since October 19, 2023.

Born on September 1, 1966 at his home-town Pirojpur, Ambassador Ahsan was educated at the University of Dhaka and has a Masters & Honors in Political Science (First Class First in both) from the same University.

He stood first in order of merit in the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination under Jessore Board in Humanities (1984) and received the Chancellor's Award from the President. Also received numerous awards throughout his student life for his outstanding academic feat.

A career Bangladeshi diplomat with a wide range of experience(bilateral, multilateral) and skills gained near three decades of international assignments in Rome(2004-2008, 2020-2023), Abuja(2018-2020), New York(2018-2018), Washington DC(2008-2011), Nairobi(1997-2002), Doha (1996-1997), Kuwait(1995-1996) and at the Headquarters(Dhaka) including three Ambassadorial appointments(Nigeria with concurrent accreditation to Angola, Republic of Congo, Gambia, and Liberia, Italy with concurrent accreditation to Montenegro and Serbia and Permanent Representative to FAO, IFAD and WFP, Rome and currently in Malaysia). Worked as Director General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh at Public Diplomacy Wing and Europe Wing (2011,2013-2014).  Work at various Desks (1993-1995 & 2002) at the Foreign Office (UN, Multilateral Economic Affairs, SAARC, Americas and Pacific) helped deepen his knowledge and understanding about international and regional issues.

Throughout his career, he was extensively involved in political negotiations, preparing drafts/reports and documents, analysing them, and briefing the officials at home and abroad. High Commissioner Ahsan has demonstrated his leadership ability and competence as the Head of Mission in New York (Consul General), Nigeria, Italy and currently in Malaysia while leading large teams in each station.

Mr. Ahsan assumed as President of the 36-member Executive Board of the Rome-based WFP (World Food Programme, world’s largest humanitarian organization) on 28 February 2022 following election of Bangladesh unanimously as the President of the Board for the year 2022 for the first time in its First Regular Session (28 February-3 March,2022). He successfully served as the President for the year 2022. As President of the EB of WFP ,  it had been his distinct privilege to lead  the Executive Board to make its decisions by consensus and to ensure that every effort had been made to achieve consensus. Mr. Ahsan was also elected a Member of the Bureau of the Executive Board of the WFP in June,2023.

High Commissioner Ahsan gained insight and wide knowledge as he participated Summits (7th SAARC Summit,1993, Dhaka,12th SAARC Summit,2004, Islamabad, XII NAM Summit in 1998, Durban), numerous international conferences/seminars, symposiums at home and abroad on global issues such as climate change, human settlements and habitat, trade, regional cooperation, intellectual property, among others.

An ardent debater throughout his student life, Ambassador Ahsan enjoys reciting poems. He won a gold medal in his school life (1980) for the best written essay at the national level.

Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, a career diplomat of the 15th BCS, is now working as the Additional Foreign Secretary of the Bangladesh government at the headquarters.

He is also a prospective candidate to serve Bangladesh mission either in Washington or New York Permanent Representative office,  London or Brussels or Canberra Tokyo, sources  said.  

He served as the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the Kingdom of Bahrain. He belongs to the 1995 batch of Bangladesh Foreign Service.

Prior to his appointment as Bangladesh Ambassador to Bahrain, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Bangladesh in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 2015 to February 2020, and concurrently Bangladesh Ambassador to the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition based in Riyadh from October 2018 to November 2019. He also served concurrently as Deputy Permanent Representative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation from 2015 to 2019.

In about two and half decade long career as a diplomat, he served as Chargé d’affaires at Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut from July 2014 to June 2015, Counsellor at Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra from 2007 to 2010, First Secretary at Bangladesh Embassy in Baghdad in 2002 to 2003, and Second Secretary at Bangladesh Embassy in Seoul from 1999 to 2002.