Former professor of Dhaka University's Department of International Relations and human rights activist CR Abrar is going to be appointed as an adviser to the interim government.

Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, gave this information at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy on Tuesday (March 4).

Shafiqul Alam said that Professor CR Abrar can take oath as an advisor around 11 am. He will be made an education adviser. The oath-taking ceremony of the new adviser will be held at Bangabhaban.

Government transport sources said that the Cabinet Division has been asked to keep a vehicle ready tomorrow.

Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud is currently serving as the Education and Planning Adviser.

In the face of controversy, the Ministry of Education has canceled the 5 percent quota order for admission to government schools for children of families injured and martyred in the July Uprising. Instructions have been given to keep one more seat in each class instead of the quota.

On Monday (March 3), the ministry issued a new order, canceling the previous order. On Tuesday (March 4), Deputy Secretary (Secondary-1) of the Ministry of Education, Mosammat Rahima Akhtar, confirmed the matter.

The new order states that many students and the public were injured and martyred as a result of the mass uprising in July-August 2024. The new order has been issued, canceling the order issued on February 20, 2025, regarding the admission of their family members to government secondary schools.

It also says that 1 seat will be reserved in each class in addition to the number of seats determined for admission through lottery to government secondary schools for family members injured/martyred in the July Uprising 2024. In case of allocating seats to family members of the injured/martyred in the July Uprising 2024, a certified copy of the relevant certificate/gazette must be attached to the application form and the original copy must be shown at the time of admission. In this case, the concerned person must properly verify the gazette of the martyrs in the July Uprising 2024 issued by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and complete the admission process. If the family members of the injured/martyred in the July Uprising 2024 are not available, the seat must be admitted from the merit list. Under no circumstances can the seat be left vacant.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Education issued an order on February 20. It says that like the freedom fighter quota, the children of the families of the injured and martyred in the July-August Uprising 2024 will get a 5 percent quota in admission to government schools. The order states that 5 percent of seats will be reserved for admission in government secondary schools for the sons and daughters of freedom fighters or martyred freedom fighters and family members injured or martyred in the July Uprising of 2024.

The leaders and activists of the newly formed party Jatiya Nagorik Party (JNP) paid tribute at the National Memorial. The JNP has officially started its political journey through this first program after its establishment.

On Tuesday (March 4), the party leaders and activists paid tribute to the martyrs at the National Memorial at around 8 am. After paying tribute, the leaders spoke to the media.

At that time, they raised various slogans including 'Delhi na Dhaka, Dhaka Dhaka', 'Khamata na Janata, Janata Janata'. Later, they observed 1 minute silence in the memorial premises in memory of the brave martyrs. Later, they spoke to the media workers.

As the party's first program after its debut as a political party, they paid tribute to the brave martyrs of the great Liberation War.

Earlier, at 7:45 am, members of the convening committee of the Nagorik Party arrived at the memorial in two double-decker buses and several vehicles. Nahid, Hasnat, Sarjis and others got off the double-decker bus one by one. At this time, more than a hundred members of the party's local supporters, citizens' committees and anti-discrimination committees welcomed them with flowers.

After the formalities, they left the memorial premises at 8:30 am. Then they left to pay their respects by placing flowers in memory of those killed in the mass uprising of 24 in Rayerbazar, Dhaka.

The executive committee's introductory meeting will be held at the central office around 3 pm on the same day.

Earlier, on the afternoon of February 28, the Jatiya Nagorik Party officially launched its journey as a new political party through a huge rally at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital.

Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman has said that the High Court verdict declaring the revised circular of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, which set the minimum age of freedom fighters at 12 years and 6 months until November 30, 1971, as illegal, is politically motivated.

He made this comment during the appeal hearing against the High Court verdict on the age of freedom fighters at the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Refat Ahmed on Tuesday (March 4).

The Attorney General said that the verdict has raised questions about the declaration of the Liberation War. Sheikh Mujib has been glorified in the verdict, but the reality is different. Later, the Appellate Division fixed March 12 for another appeal hearing on the minimum age of freedom fighters.

Earlier, the government published three gazettes between 2015 and 2018 setting the minimum age for freedom fighters. In these gazettes, the age limit for becoming a freedom fighter was set at 13 years and in the latest gazette, it was set at 12 years and 6 months.

Fifteen writs were later filed challenging the validity of these gazettes. After the final hearing of the rule issued after that writ, the High Court bench of Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif and Justice Razik Al Jalil announced the verdict on May 19.

On May 19, 2019, regarding the determination of the age of freedom fighters who participated in the great liberation war of 1971, the High Court said, 'Not only in Bangladesh, freedom fighters cannot be bound by an age frame anywhere in the world.'

The High Court bench of Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif and Justice Razik Al Jalil announced this verdict. Later, the state party applied to the Appellate Division to stay this verdict.