‘Clearly strange’: The Bangladesh Interim Government scored the Sheikh Hasina-era ‘Sir’ rule for women officials; Panel formed to set new titles

The interim government of Bangladesh on Thursday officially canceled a long -running instruction from the Sheikh Hasina administration, in which public officials needed to address them and other senior women officials as “sir”.“The order, for about 16 years, was considered ‘inappropriate’ by the Unus-Left government.This decision was announced by the Chief Advisor of the Bangladesh Government to a post on X after a meeting of the Advisory Council in Dhaka. “During the autocratic rule of nearly 16 years of Sheikh Hasina, a instruction was allegedly needed to address public authorities as ‘sir’,” the post was read.

“This practice was extended to other high-ranked female officers, who were still called ‘sir’, which is clearly strange,” it said.This rule had criticized for years for reducing gender criteria and appearing out of contact with social conferences.To establish a more respectable and culturally appropriate form for senior officials, the government has formed a review committee. The panel was given Energy, Road and Railway Advisor Dr. Co-Faujul Kabir Khan and Environment and Water Resources Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan will be co-in-law.Along with cancellation of this instruction, the Interim government also reiterated several other old protocol rules issued by the previous cabinet.