DHAKA: Bangladesh’s caretaker government has overturned a long-standing protocol requiring women officials to be addressed as “sir”, calling it an “odd” relic of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina’s government.

A statement issued by the press wing of the caretaker government late on Thursday said the directive mandating the use of “sir” for women in official roles had been “annulled”.

“During Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year-long autocratic rule, a directive was reportedly issued requiring public officials to address her as `sir’,” it said.

“This practice extended to other high-ranking women officials, who were — and still are — being called `sir’, which is clearly odd.”

A new committee has been formed to revise other protocol-related directives, the statement added.

A woman bureaucrat said the caretaker government took the call without consulting women officials. “The tradition began during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, but many women officers supported it, finding the address gender-neutral,” said the official.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2025