The government has decided to cancel the contractual appointment of Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told reporters this evening after he attended a farewell reception to Masud Bin Momen at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Masud Momen will be on post-retirement leave (PRL) from Monday for one year. The Ministry of Public Administration may issue notice towards this end tomorrow, an official of the foreign ministry told The Daily Star.

He took over the helm of the foreign ministry in 2019 and in November 2022, the Awami League government extended his tenure on a contractual basis for two years until December 6 this year.

Prior to his appointment as the foreign secretary, he served as Bangladesh's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN in New York since 2015.

He also served as Bangladesh's ambassador to Japan from 2012 to 2015.

Momen also served as ambassador to Italy and as permanent representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Fund for Agricultural Development from 2008 to 2012.

The cancellation of Masud Bin Momen's contractual appointment comes after the government called back several officials including ambassadors appointed on political considerations or posted on deputation.

Md Jashim Uddin, Bangladesh Ambassador to China, is likely to be the next foreign secretary, said a MOFA official.