Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has retained two of her seven advisers appointed when she took office about five years ago while five of them resigned yesterday.
The PM now has six advisers with four of them newly appointed and yet to get specific responsibilities.
The two to stay on are international affairs adviser Gowher Rizvi and security adviser Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique.
The advisers who stepped down are HT Imam, public administration affairs adviser; Tawfiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury, energy adviser; Mashiur Rahman, economic affairs adviser; Syed Modasser Ali, health and family welfare and social welfare affairs adviser; and Alauddin Ahmed, education and political affairs adviser.
The five went to the Gono   Bhaban yesterday afternoon and tendered resignation to the PM. On Monday, Hasina asked them to step down.
Sources noted that as Gowher Rizvi is engaged in back-stage diplomatic parleys amidst political uncertainty in the country. Retention of his advisory role would help continuity of the task.
Tarique Ahmed is brother-in-law of the PM's younger sister Sheikh Rehana.
Asked, the PM's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad confirmed resignation of five advisers.
The move came amid growing criticism over the number of the PM's advisers in her polls-time administration.
Besides Gowher Rizvi and Tarique, the four other advisers to the PM are Jatiya Party presidium member Ziuddin Ahmed Bablu, former ministers in the Hasina-led grand alliance government Shafique Ahmed and Dilip Barua, and Jatiya Party (Manju) chief Anwar Hossain Manju.
After assuming power in January 2009, Hasina appointed seven advisers and allowed them to attend cabinet meetings, drawing severe criticism even from the ruling Awami League's rank and file.