PSC chairman, 12 members resign

Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC) Md Sohrab Hossain and 12 members of the commission have resigned.

Sohrab handed over his resignation letter to the PSC secretary today, Matiur Rahman, public relations officer of the commission, told The Business Standard.

The resigning 12 PSC members are former senior secretary Faiz Ahmed, Professor Uttam Kumar Saha, former executive director of North-West Power Generation Company Limited (NWPGCL)  Zahidur Rashid, Professor Mubina Khandkar, Professor Delwar Hossain, former senior secretary KM Ali Azam, former secretary Khalilur Rahman, former director general of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board Professor Syed Md Golam Farooq, former senior secretary Maksudur Rahman, former secretary Najmanara Khatun, former secretary N Siddika Khanam, and Rajshahi University Professor Pradeep Kumar Pandey.

Two other members – former senior secretary Helaluddin Ahmad and former additional IGP Shafiqul Islam – have not yet submitted their resignations.

"Although resignation letters from two other PSC members are yet to be received, they are expected to submit their resignations soon," Matiur Rahman said.

Sohrab Hossain was appointed as the PSC chairman on 16 September 2020.

An officer from the 1984 batch of the BCS administration cadre, Sohrab has held significant positions, including secretary of the Ministry of Education and rector of the BCS Administration Academy. 

The PSC is a constitutional body responsible for recruitment to various government positions and posts. It also plays a key role in decisions regarding promotion, posting, transfer, discipline, and appeals of public servants.

Following the fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising, there is a strong public demand for comprehensive reforms within the commission. As part of these reform efforts, the PSC chairman and its members resigned a year before the completion of their five-year terms.