A Catholic woman has been appointed to one of Bangladesh’s top bureaucratic posts, drawing praise from the country’s minority Christian community.
Nomita Halder from Shelabunia Church in Khulna Diocese was appointed acting secretary of the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry.
She is the first Christian in Bangladesh to hold such a high post in the civil service since independence from Pakistan in 1971. Halder had served as a personal secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since 2014.
Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario of Dhaka hailed the appointment.
“Nomita Halder’s appoint-ment is a matter of joy and honour to minority Christians in Bangla-desh. She has been very helpful to the church in times of need, and hopefully her new post will broaden the scope of her support to the community further,” Cardinal D’Rozario said.
Nirmol Rozario, president of Bangladesh Christian Association described Halder’s appointment as an “inspiration” to the Christian community. “She has been appointed to the post deservedly.
She has proved the notion that minorities can’t get top govern-ment posts is wrong. We had a state minister from the Christian community and now we have a secretary. It is not just a matter of joy but also a great source of inspiration,” Rozario told ucanews.com.
