Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, widely known as CR Abrar, a retired professor of the international relations department at Dhaka University, is set to be sworn in聽 as a new adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh today.
The oath-taking ceremony is likely to be held at 11:00am today at Bangabhaban.
The new adviser is expected to assume charge of the Ministry of Education.
Press secretary to the chief adviser Shafiqul Alam came up with the information during a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Tuesday.
鈥楶rofessor Wahiduddin Mahmud has long expressed that managing two ministries simultaneously has been challenging for him. Given his advanced age and the heavy responsibilities at the Planning Ministry, Professor CR Abrar is being inducted into the advisory council,鈥� he said.
At present, Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud holds the portfolios of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Planning.
Professor CR Abrar, also a rights activist and a migration expert, studied at the University of Dhaka, the University of Sussex, and Griffith University in Australia.
He has previously served as the president of Odhikar, a human rights organisation, and as the executive director of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit.
CR Abrar鈥檚 research and publications focus on the labour recruitment industry, social protection and the rights of Rohingya refugees.聽 He has also been a vocal critic of the Digital Security Act and the Cyber Security Act.
The interim government was formed on August 8, 2024, led by Nobel peace laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus after the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government amid a student-led mass uprising on August 5, 2024.