Joint Secretary Harun-or-Rashid given additional charge of Director General of Shilpakala Academy

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Moha. Harun-or-Rashid has received the additional charge of Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. He will perform the duty in this post alongside his own responsibility until a regular Director General is appointed.

This information has been given in an office order issued by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs on September 21. It has been said in the order that Moha. Harun-or-Rashid will perform the duty of Director General of Shilpakala Academy as additional to his own responsibility until further orders.

According to the office order, during the period of performing the additional charge he will conduct the day-to-day administrative activities of the academy. Alongside the responsibility of completing other administrative works including meeting necessary financial expenses and paying the salaries and allowances of the officers and employees according to the prevailing rules will also be on him.

Earlier poet Rezauddin Stalin had been appointed as Director General of Shilpakala Academy on a one-year contract on September 21, 2025. The post has become vacant at present as the tenure of the contract has ended. After the end of his tenure Harun-or-Rashid has been given the temporary additional charge until a new Director General is appointed.

There have been multiple changes earlier in the post of Director General of Shilpakala Academy. When theatre director and researcher Professor Syed Jamil Ahmed resigned in February 2025, Mohammad Wares Hossain received the charge of acting Director General on March 4 of that year. Earlier Syed Jamil Ahmed had been appointed to the post of Director General for two years on September 9, 2024.

After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 Liaquat Ali Lucky stepped down from the post of Director General of Shilpakala Academy. The then Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Khalil Ahmed had informed that Lucky had sent the resignation letter through WhatsApp citing personal reasons.

Liaquat Ali Lucky was in the charge of Director General of Shilpakala Academy for a long time. Discussion took place about his appointment and extension of tenure at various times after first taking the charge of this post in 2011. His tenure had been extended for the seventh time in 2023. In addition news of interrogation by the Anti-Corruption Commission on allegations of corruption against him had also been published.

After Lucky’s resignation Syed Jamil Ahmed took the charge of Director General in September 2024. After his resignation Mohammad Wares Hossain received the charge as acting Director General. Later on September 14, 2025 the additional charge of Director General of Shilpakala Academy was given to Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Abul Fayez. About one week later on September 21 Rezauddin Stalin became Director General on a one-year contract.

After the end of the tenure of Rezauddin Stalin’s contract the arrangement of additional charge in the post of Director General has again been made. This time Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Moha. Harun-or-Rashid has received this charge.