The directive to address the female government officials as ‘Sir’ has been officially revoked.
The directive was revoked at a meeting of the advisory council chaired by Chief Adviser (CA) Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday.

The meeting also discussed the need to revise other exaggerated protocol guidelines introduced by the cabinet.

The CA’s Deputy Press Secretary, Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, gave the information citing the advisory council meeting.

He said that a two-member review committee was formed for this purpose. The members are Energy, Roads and Railways Adviser Mohammad Fouzul Kabir Khan and Environment and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan.

The committee was asked to propose necessary amendments to the honorary address and protocol guidelines for the Advisory Council’s consideration within the next month.

It is learnt that during Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year dictatorship, a controversial directive was issued, asking female government officials to address them as ‘Sir’. The practice was also applicable to other high-ranking female officials, and they are still addressed as ‘Sir’ in many cases, which is unusual and unconventional.