Govt retires Joint Secretary Kasem over fake FF credentials

The government has retired Joint Secretary Abul Kasem Talukder, who is among five top bureaucrats who took to fraud to secure fake freedom-fighter credentials.

Public administration ministry's Senior Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury has confirmed bdnews24.com of the development.

An order to this end was issued on Sunday but the matter was made public only on Wednesday.

The former joint secretary to the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs had four more years of service.

He was made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) -- a post that rarely gives opportunity for work -- after allegations of forgery in gold crests to honour Bangladesh's foreign friends during the Liberation War surfaced.

Sunday's order said the government thought it necessary to send

Talukder on forced retirement for "the sake of the people" as he completed 25 years of service.

However, he will enjoy retirement privileges as per the law, it added.

In September, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs cancelled freedom-fighter certificates and gazettes of Talukder and three other secretaries as per the Anti Corruption Commission's recommendation.

The other three are -- former health secretary Niaz Uddin Miah, Public Service Commission secretary AKM Amir Hossain, and former Liberation War affairs secretary KH Masud Siddique.

The public administration ministry sought explanations from them why administrative measures should not be taken against them for forging freedom-fighter certificates.

Both the freedom-fighter certificate and gazette notification of former PMO Secretary Mollah Wahiduzzaman, now chairman of the Privatisation Commission, have been withheld on same charges.

Former secretaries Miah and Hossain resigned on Nov 6 while Siddique was made an OSD in August after an alleged forgery in gold crests came into light.