Touhid says he wanted to quit interim govt due to 'kitchen cabinet's role'

Touhid Hossain, the foreign adviser in the previous interim administration, said on Monday that he had decided to resign from his post three times as there was a “kitchen cabinet” that took all the important decisions.

However, the high-ups did not accept the resignation letters, and requested him to stay on the grounds that that his abrupt departure would put the Prof Yunus-led government in a “very uncomfortable situation.”

The former adviser made the remarks in a live interview given to a private television channel.

The “kitchen cabinet” used to meet every Tuesday to discuss the overall affairs of the country, which also included matters pertaining to ministries not under their jurisdiction, he said.

Touhid’s own ministry, the foreign ministry, was under the influence of multiple other advisers, he added.

Touhid said that he heard some of them also took decisions on different matters.

These advisers lacked adequate experience in the fields they overlooked, making it difficult for Touhid to accept their moves, the former foreign adviser clarified.

And yet, these advisers and government officials could function beyond their purview as high-ups showed them importance.

His expectations from the interim government and from his position in the advisory council remained largely unfulfilled, he said.

He came to know about the kitchen cabinet for the first time when he was called to join a meeting of the covert group at State Guest House Jamuna.

He also denied any role of the foreign ministry or of himself in the signing of the US trade deal three days before the general elections on 12 February.

Rather, the commerce ministry and the national security adviser were involved in the process, Touhid added.

He also talked about the Awami League and its self-exiled leader Sheikh Hasina. There is no scope for repatriating Hasina, convicted for ordering in July Uprising killings, from her exile in India, even if formal letters are sent to the Indian government from an authoritative position.

When asked about the BNP government, he said it is still too early to make an assessment of the elected government’s initiatives.

For now, a big challenge for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would be to manage relationships with the US, China and India, he added.