A rash of contractual appointments in the last two years fuelled resentment in the administration and the government decided to extend the service of only a handful of officials on merit and unwavering allegiance to the ruling BNP, said sources at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Around 200 officials are in service on contract both at home and abroad. Three dozen of them are secretaries and over a dozen of them are set to retire by January.

But most contracts are not up for renewals after expiry, as the majority of officials were given extension more than once, the sources added.

The BNP-led four-party coalition government gave a wave of repeat extensions, blocking the promotion of mid- and entry-level officials and making the officials on contract far outnumber regulars. Two of them are CSP (Civil Service of Pakistan) officials in secretarial positions.

In line with the new decision, the government did not extend the appointments of some top bureaucrats, including Planning Commission Member Shah Mohammad Farid, Privatisation Commission Member Karar Mahmudul Hasan and Parliament Secretary Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, whose contracts expired last month.

Only Cabinet Secretary Dr Saadat Hussain was given a one-year contract last month.

Contracts of President's Secretary Anisul Haq Chowdhury, Education Secretary Shahidul Alam, Local Government Secretary AYBI Siddiqi, Power Secretary SM Shamsul Alam, incumbent Parliament Secretary Khandaker Fazlur Rahman, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Tehmina Hussain, Chairman of Rural Electrification Board Ziaul Islam Chowdhury, Director General at the PMO Abdul Majid, Director General of NGO Affairs Bureau Shahjahan Majumder, Chairman of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Harunur Rashid and Nasirul Haq of the Public Administration Training Centre expire this month.

Official sources said contracts of about a dozen secretaries and additional secretary level officials, including Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Communications Secretary Syed Rezaul Hayat, Environment and Forest Secretary Sabihuddin Ahmed, Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Muhammad Abdul Haq, Housing and Public Works Secretary Aminur Rahman, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Mohammad Nurunnabi, Director General of National Institute of Local Government Shamsul Haq and Director General of Disaster Management and Relief Muhammad Ashraf, will expire in January.

The government is in a dilemma on whether or not to extend the appointment of the prime minister's principal secretary, while the environment and forest secretary is likely to be appointed as ambassador to Sweden, the PMO sources said.

MM Rezaul Karim, former ambassador and member of the BNP chairperson's advisory council, may be appointed as ambassador to Brussels.

The government has also decided not to give extension to several political appointees on expiry of their contracts.

Mohammad Shahjahan, joint secretary (administration and press), was given the charge of official news agency BSS on expiry of Amanullah Kabir's contractual service.