Two key positions in the administration -- secretaries to the home and establishment ministries -- were given to the officials whose closeness to the immediate past government is well known and sources fear that these vital new appointments might influence the next election in favour of the parties from which they had got benefits.

Termination of contracts of Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, principal secretary to the immediate past prime minister (PM), and of Khondoker Shahidul Islam, secretary to the immediate past PM, is of little consequence as their contracts were due to expire soon.

Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Ismail Zabiullah was made the secretary to the president's office yesterday hours after Rafiqul Islam had been ordered to return to Bangabhaban on Monday night. But in a quick change of plan Rafiqul Islam replaced Zabiullah at ERD, according to an establishment ministry notification. Awami League (AL) leaders had accused Ismail Zabiullah for the disappearance of files of the Jail Killing Case.

At the very end of its term, BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government replaced Establishment Secretary Dr Mahbubur Rahman with Jute and Textile Secretary AFM Solaiman Chowdhury at midnight on Friday during the Eid vacation. The transfer was made to put a more sympathetic officer in the vital ministry, which deals with all transfers, promotions and fresh postings in the civil administration.

AFM Solaiman Chowdhury was deputy commissioner of Feni during the last caretaker government and the immediate past government awarded him by promoting him to the post of a secretary from the chief executive officer of Dhaka City Corporation. AFM Solaiman Chowdhury was made secretary on April 9 this year in only four years from the position of a deputy secretary, and sources said he superseded at least seven officers who were superior to him according to a merit list of the 1979 batch prepared by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

AFM Solaiman Chowdhury is reported to have strong leaning towards Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, a key partner of the BNP-led alliance government.

Pointing to the latest change in the home ministry, a former bureaucrat said new Home Secretary SM Jahirul Islam earlier served the immediate past government as an additional secretary to the same ministry.

Before the present posting, SM Jahirul Islam was the local government division secretary.

During his service as an additional secretary to the home ministry, SM Jahirul Islam is said to have influenced the cancellation of a home ministry initiative to transfer erstwhile Rajshahi Police Super Masud Mia who had been accused of patronising Islamist militant activities in Rajshahi and neighbouring districts.

Sources said SM Jahirul Islam had good relation with former post and telecommunications minister M Aminul Haq who is also accused of patronising Islamist militants.

So far no action has been taken against four other top officials who were also appointed on contracts mainly due to their political leanings to the immediate past government.

The officials are Power Division Secretary ANH Akhtar Hossain, Finance Division Secretary Siddiqur Rahman, Secretary to the Anti-corruption Commission Abdul Alim Khan, and Prime Minister's Press Secretary Tajul Islam.

Sources in the administration, professional bodies, and a number of political parties termed Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed's move to reshuffle the administration as a cosmetic measure, which they said will do very little to change the situation.

A source said Abdul Aziz, who was transferred as the secretary to the agriculture ministry from his position as a member of the Planning Commission, previously had served the same ministry under the immediate past government as an additional secretary.

Primary and Mass Education Secretary AKM Shamsuddin was moved to the women and children affairs ministry, who had earlier served the PMO as its director general (DG).

Additional Secretary Badiur Rahman, named as the acting power secretary on Monday night, will move to the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED). Sources said Badiur Rahman had been promoted on political consideration superseding many other competent officials. He was listed at the 105th position of the PSC prepared merit list of the 1979 batch and at the 40th position on the combined merit/seniority list.

ANH Akhtar Hossain, who was made the IMED secretary on Monday night, will return to the power division according to a fresh notification. Widely suspected to be very close to Hawa Bhaban, he had got two promotions in a day during the immediate past government on political consideration. Such promotion had been unheard of in the administration.

The present Communications Secretary Aminiul Islam Bhuiyan was also promoted superseding other officials while he had been at the 115th position on the combined merit list of the PSC.

Politicisation of each of the departments of the administration has been so thorough that the interim government will find it hard to dismantle their comprehensive control on the administration as the removal of one official will only mean another official with leaning to the four-party alliance assuming the post, noted many former and serving bureaucrats.

The immediate past government not only changed several times the rules of contractual appointment and promotion to benefit the officers with leanings to it. It also violated the same rules repeatedly when felt necessary to favour a particular official.

A former bureaucrat suggested appointing competent officials from the merit list of the PSC, who were deprived of promotions due to political reasons.