BNP Appointments in Key State Institutions: Is the Old Culture of ‘Politicisation’ Returning?

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Allegations of BNP Leaders and Activists Being Appointed to 12 Institutions, Including a Politically Affiliated Individual in the Election Commission.

The BNP came to power promising to keep state institutions free from political influence. In its election manifesto, the party pledged to give priority to integrity, merit, competence, efficiency, experience and patriotism rather than political loyalty in the administration and management of state institutions.

However, only a few months after taking office, questions have emerged over a series of appointments of BNP leaders and activists, as well as members of its affiliated organisations, to important positions in government and autonomous institutions.

According to a July 29 report by The Daily Star, the government appointed 12 BNP leaders and activists to 12 important institutions on one-year contracts in a single day. The appointments included top positions in 11 state institutions and an important position within the Election Commission Secretariat.

The 12 Appointees at a Glance

According to the published information, the appointments made on July 23, 2026, include:

• Mamun Hasan — Member of the BNP National Executive Committee; Chairman, Bangladesh Jute Corporation.

• Abdul Khalek — BNP Assistant Organising Secretary for the Rangpur Division; Chairman, Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation.

• Shamsuzzaman — Member of the BNP National Executive Committee; Chairman, Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation.

• Salahuddin Sarker — Leader of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal; Director General, Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation.

• Md. Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul — BNP Secretary for Forest and Environment Affairs; Chairman, Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation.

• Abdul Bari — BNP Assistant Secretary for Religious Affairs; Chairman, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC).

• Kazi Raonakul Islam — BNP Assistant Secretary for Forest and Environment Affairs; Managing Director, BCCT.

• Zakaria Hossain — Former Vice-President of Jubo Dal; Chairman, Bangladesh Handloom Board.

• Mohammad Rashedul Haque — BNP Secretary for International Affairs; Chairman, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited.

• Md. Kamruzzaman — Former Vice-President of Jubo Dal; Executive Secretary, National Social Welfare Council.

• Benzir Ahmed — BNP Assistant Organising Secretary for the Dhaka Division; Chairman, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation.

• Shamsul Alam — Former Election Commission official and a member of the BNP’s electoral boundary review committee in 2025; appointed Additional Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat.

Election Commission Appointment Raises Questions

Among the 12 appointments, Shamsul Alam’s appointment as Additional Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat has attracted particular attention.

According to published reports, Shamsul Alam is a former Election Commission official and served on a BNP committee reviewing electoral boundaries in 2025.

With local government elections and other electoral activities ahead, critics argue that placing an individual with an alleged political association with the ruling party in an important administrative position within the Election Commission could raise questions about the commission’s neutrality and independence.

Holding Party Positions While Serving in State Institutions?

Another issue attracting attention is the allegation that several of the appointees continued to hold positions within the BNP or its affiliated organisations at the time of their appointments.

In an editorial published on August 13, The Daily Star reported that 17 current and former BNP and affiliated-organisation leaders had been appointed to senior positions in government agencies and development authorities. The editorial said at least 15 of them were still holding party positions when they were appointed.

This has raised a fundamental question: If an individual simultaneously holds a senior political position within the ruling party and a senior position in a state institution, how can administrative neutrality be fully guaranteed?

Questions Over BNP’s Own Election Manifesto

The BNP’s election manifesto promised to make state institutions effective, accountable and free from partisan influence. It also pledged that merit, competence, efficiency and experience—not political loyalty—would be the primary considerations in appointments.

But when senior positions in state institutions are given to central BNP leaders, organisational leaders, party secretaries and former or current leaders of affiliated organisations, questions naturally arise:

Are merit and professional experience the primary criteria for state appointments, or has political identity also become an important qualification?

“Has Only the Government Changed, or Has the Political Culture Changed Too?”

The BNP has for years accused the Awami League government of politicising the administration and state institutions.

If similar allegations are now being raised against the BNP government, a broader political question inevitably emerges:

Has only the ruling party changed, or has the culture of state governance actually changed?

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman has criticised such appointments, arguing that appointments to senior positions in public-interest institutions risk reproducing the old “winner-takes-all” political culture.

Demand to Keep State Institutions Free from Partisan Influence

Critics argue that if senior positions in state institutions change according to the political identity of the government in power, the long-term professionalism and independence of those institutions could be undermined.

This is particularly important for institutions such as the Election Commission, industrial and commercial corporations, social welfare organisations, and agencies responsible for transport and labour.

The government should therefore make the qualifications and selection criteria behind these appointments public and ensure that individuals serving in state positions remain free from partisan political activities while performing their official duties.

Because the state does not belong to any political party. Governments come and go, but state institutions belong to the people.

The BNP now faces a major political question:

After spending years campaigning against what it described as the politicisation of state institutions under the Awami League, is the BNP now repeating the same practice after coming to power?

The answer should not come merely through political statements. It should come through transparent appointments, demonstrated merit and professional qualifications, and concrete measures to ensure that state institutions remain independent of partisan political influence.