Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque gets one-year job extension

The government has extended Md Shahidul Haque’s job as foreign secretary by one year by giving him a contractual appointment.

The public administration ministry issued a notice on the appointment on Wednesday.

The new contract will be effective from Dec 31 or from the day of joining, according to the notice.  

There are six senior secretaries, including Haque, in the public administration.

Haque was appointed as acting secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Jan 10, 2013. He was promoted to secretary on Jul 19, the same year. The government elevated him to a senior secretary on Jul 30 this year.

The official from the foreign-service cadre of 1986 had worked at the International Organisation for Migration, taking special leave in 2001. Haque worked as the director of the International Cooperation and Partnership Division at the IOM in Geneva until he returned home.

Haque studied international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy after graduating from the Social Welfare Department at Dhaka University.   

He is the second official in the foreign ministry never appointed as an ambassador.