Freedom fighter Faruk E Azam takes oath of office

Bir Protik Faruk E Azam has taken the oath of office as an advisor to the interim government.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to him at 11am on Tuesday.

The swearing-in ceremony began with the National Anthem in the Darbar Hall of the Bangabhaban. A minute of silence was also observed in memory of those killed during the quota reform movement.

Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain conducted the programme.

Following the rules, Faruk took the oath of secrecy first before signing the oath book as the new advisor.

The new interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, took its oaths of office on Aug 8 after Sheikh Hasina handed in her resignation on Aug 5.

Chief Advisor Yunus and 13 other advisors were sworn in.

However, Faruk, former ambassador Supradip Chakma, and Bidhan Ranjan Roy, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, could not attend the oath-taking ceremony at the Bangabhaban as they were out of Dhaka at the time.

Faruk, a freedom fighter and naval commando, was conferred the Bir Protik gallantry award for his contributions to Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan.

After graduating from high school in 1971, he went to India’s Palashi to undergo two months of training and was later chosen by the Bangladesh army to participate in Operation Jackpot, the only coordinated campaign of the Liberation War.

He was made the team's vice-captain and assigned to attack the Chattogram port during the war.