State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain said Monday morning that he would formally announce his resignation at a press conference at the National Press Club at 2 pm.
With the declaration, he ended speculation over his position following a controversy over his public display of a pistol during an anti-drug operation in Dhaka.
In a post on his verified Facebook page at around 8:40 am on Monday, Ishraque said he would face journalists and make his final announcement regarding his resignation.
He also vowed to intensify his campaign against drugs, this time as a BNP activist rather than a lawmaker or state minister.
"Not as a member of parliament or a state minister, but as a BNP activist, I will work against drugs with a hundred times more enthusiasm," he wrote.
Ishraque also took a swipe at critics who had celebrated reports of his impending departure.
"I have seen some members of the so-called civil society celebrating on Facebook," he wrote.
He said he hoped those critics would return from abroad and join political movements in Bangladesh if the need arose, inspired by nationalist ideals.
The state minister said he would strengthen his cleanliness campaigns and travel across the country to expand the organisational strength of the Prajanma Dal.
He ended his post with a slogan: "Not a minister, but drug eradication! Eradicate drugs, eradicate drugs!"
However, on Sunday, Ishraque dismissed the media reports as claiming that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had asked him to resign as rumours, while his office issued a statement denying that any resignation instruction had been given.
Earlier, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman asked him to resign following widespread criticism over his public display of a pistol while chasing suspected drug users in Dhaka, as several media outlets, including Daily Waadaa, reported.
Sources said the prime minister summoned Ishraque after a cabinet meeting and instructed him to step down. His office, however, rejected the reports as false and politically motivated.
His press officer, Mahfuz Kabir Mukta, insisted that no resignation instruction had been issued and threatened legal action against media outlets spreading what he described as misinformation.
The confusion deepened when state broadcaster BTV briefly aired a ticker saying the prime minister had ordered Ishraque's resignation, before subsequently broadcasting his denial.
At around 12:30 am Monday, Ishraque wrote on Facebook that any resignation instruction from the prime minister was conventionally binding and took immediate effect.
He said there was no need to verify such instructions through third parties and promised to inform the public through a press conference if any decision concerning him took effect.
Monday morning's announcement is his clearest indication yet that he intends to leave the cabinet.
The controversy began on Saturday when Ishraque, also the MP for Dhaka-6, was filmed carrying a pistol while chasing suspected drug users near the Dayaganj Ghuntighar railway crossing in Gendaria.
Videos posted on his Facebook page showed armed associates accompanying him. One member of his entourage was seen kicking a young man, while another person was heard threatening to shoot.
Six people were subsequently detained and handed over to police.
Ishraque defended the operation, saying residents had repeatedly complained about drug dealing in the area. He maintained that his pistol was licensed and displayed only for self-defence.
The footage nevertheless triggered questions about whether a sitting minister could personally conduct an armed operation rather than leave enforcement to the police.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police ordered an investigation on Sunday. Detective Branch chief Shafiqul Islam said the deputy commissioner of Wari Division had been tasked with examining the incident and determining whether any laws had been violated.
Opposition Jamaat-e-Islami also condemned Ishraque's conduct, accusing him of violating his oath of office and calling for action.
Under Article 58 of the Constitution, a minister's resignation must be submitted to the prime minister for forwarding to the president. Ishraque's announcement of a forthcoming press conference does not, by itself, establish that his resignation has formally taken effect.