According to the information available on the Ministry of Industry’s website, Zakia Sultana has been serving as the Secretary of the Ministry of Industry since May 16, 2021. This is in violation of the Cabinet Division’s transfer policy. Zakia Sultana, the Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, is one of the close associates of the authoritarian Awami government, along with her husband, Additional IGP Md. Atiqul Islam. The government has already forced her husband, Md. Atiqul Islam, the Additional IGP, into compulsory retirement as part of the Awami cronies’ agenda. However, Zakia Sultana remains in her position as Secretary. Among the government’s secretaries, she is the only person who has been promoted to the position of Secretary by surpassing many senior colleagues, and she has been serving in this role for a long time, largely due to her personal relationship with the authoritarian Hasina.

During her tenure as the Secretary of Industry, she has destroyed the country’s sugar industry to protect the interests of neighboring countries. She has closed off avenues for job creation through industrial establishments. The establishment of both public and private industries has drastically reduced, leading to a rise in unemployment. The industrial establishment process has come to a standstill. She is resorting to manipulation and deception to provide benefits to certain individuals affiliated with the authoritarian Awami government, while presenting false information to advisors.