However, on Dec 18, eight top officials were sent to Dhaka from Kolkata as representatives of the government of Bangladesh. Their arrival in Dhaka was sanctioned a day earlier on Dec 17 through an official government order signed by the then Secretary General of the Cabinet Ruhul Quddus. The eight officials, including Ruhul Quddus and Abul Fateh, arrived at Dhaka's Tejagaon Airport on the morning of Dec 18. HT Imam, political advisor to present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was the cabinet secretary to the government in exile during the war. HT Imam joined the government in exile as the cabinet secretary on July 16, 1971.

Source: bd News24 December 18, 2020 10:18 UTC