Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury set to become Bangladesh’s next foreign secretary

Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, a seasoned career diplomat and former Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations, is set to become the country’s next foreign secretary, highly placed sources have told Daily Waadaa.

Chowdhury is expected to assume the Foreign Ministry’s top bureaucratic post later this month, succeeding Asad Alam Siam, who has been appointed Bangladesh’s next High Commissioner to India.

Government policymakers have settled on Chowdhury as their preferred candidate from a wider field of senior diplomats, making his appointment virtually a formality, according to sources familiar with the process.

“Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury is the strongest candidate among a wide field of contenders,” one source said, requesting anonymity.

Riaz Hamidullah, whom Siam is replacing as Bangladesh’s envoy to New Delhi, was also considered for foreign secretary.

However, the government ultimately decided against Hamidullah, with sources saying policymakers were dissatisfied with his performance during his posting in India.

Hamidullah, a former ambassador to the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, is now expected to be appointed Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative in Geneva.

Other names considered for foreign secretary included M A Muhith, recently appointed Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and Tareq Ariful Islam, the country’s current ambassador to the United States.

If formally appointed, Chowdhury will become Bangladesh’s fourth foreign secretary in two years, reflecting a period of unusually rapid turnover at the top of the diplomatic service.

Masud Bin Momen remained foreign secretary during the initial months of the Interim Government before being succeeded by Jashim Uddin.

Jashim’s tenure was short-lived before he was posted to Canada, paving the way for Siam to take charge during the later phase of the Interim Government.

Siam’s appointment to New Delhi will now trigger another transition at the Foreign Ministry, with Chowdhury poised to take over.

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