Saad-Sajid ; Dhaka: Professor Asif Nazrul, the former Law Adviser to the Interim Government, has addressed rumors regarding his involvement in major diplomatic decisions, specifically clarifying that he was not part of the discussions concerning agreements with the United States.
In a recent interview with BBC Bangla, the former adviser explained that the Chief Adviser, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, only consulted specific cabinet members based on their area of expertise.
“I was never called into meetings regarding agreements with the United States because that was not within my area of concern,” Asif Nazrul stated. He further noted that discussions involving economic matters, banking, and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) were handled by advisers specialized in those fields.
Addressing the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ Allegations
Responding to a question about the existence of a “Kitchen Cabinet”—a small group of influential insiders—within the interim government, Nazrul questioned the historical novelty of such a concept.
“In the history of Bangladesh, which government did not have a kitchen cabinet?” he asked. He clarified that while certain advisers may have felt excluded from some high-level meetings, it was simply because their specific roles were not relevant to the topics at hand.
Role-Based Decision Making
To illustrate his point, Asif Nazrul mentioned the contributions of other colleagues. He noted that while some advisers claimed to be excluded from “important decision-making processes,” they were actually the primary authorities in their own sectors.
“For instance, when it came to Labor Law, a specific adviser was the most important figure and made almost every decision. Similarly, during the drafting of election laws by the Election Commission, advisers with expertise in that field were given the floor to lead the discussion,” Nazrul explained.
He concluded by reiterating that his own presence was strictly required for legal, political, and reform-related issues, rather than international financial or diplomatic treaties.