Former Bangladesh national team captain Aminul Haque is set to become the State Minister for Youth and Sports after receiving a call to take oath in the new cabinet on Tuesday, marking his entry into government despite losing his parliamentary race in Dhaka.
Sources close to Aminul confirmed the development as the new Bangladesh Nationalist Party government finalised its cabinet, with Aminul selected under the technocrat quota. He currently serves as the party’s central executive sports secretary and convenor of BNP’s Dhaka North unit.
Aminul contested the 13th general election from Dhaka-16 but failed to secure a seat. He lost to Jamaat-e-Islami-backed candidate Colonel (retd) Md Abdul Baten, ending his immediate path to parliament but not his political relevance.
Speculation around the sports ministry gathered pace in recent days. Many inside political circles believed Aminul would have taken charge of the portfolio had he won the seat. His defeat only shifted the route, not the destination.
Several other names circulated as possible candidates for the sports brief. Yet talk of Aminul’s appointment through the technocrat channel refused to die down. On Tuesday morning, that talk turned into confirmation.
Officials from the Cabinet Secretariat reportedly informed Aminul of the decision earlier in the day. By afternoon, preparations moved towards the oath-taking ceremony at the South Plaza of the parliament complex.
