Professor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar is set to be appointed as a new adviser to the interim government. He will take his oath at 11:00am on Wednesday and assume responsibility for the Ministry of Education. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam announced these details during a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.Rafiqul Abrar, widely known as CR Abrar, is a retired professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, a prominent human rights activist, and the executive director of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU). He currently serves as the president of Odhikar, a human rights organization. Abrar earned degrees from the University of Dhaka and the University of Sussex, later completing his PhD at Griffith University. In 1995, he co-founded RMMRU alongside Tasneem Arefa Siddiqui, Shahdeen Malik, Sumaiya Khair, and Yasmin Ali Haque.

A prolific writer, Abrar authored Aid, Development and Diplomacy in 1999. He also co-edited Towards National Refugee Laws in South Asia with Shahdeen Malik, published in 2000. His work extends to advocacy, including a call in April 2023 at a Nagorik event to repeal the Digital Security Act. He has been a vocal advocate for the rights of Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh and has written about victims of enforced disappearances in the country.

Abrar has commented extensively on the Rohingya refugee crisis, asserting that China and the United States share similar policies on the issue. He has urged the Bangladeshi government to take responsibility for Rohingya individuals who migrated to Saudi Arabia using Bangladeshi passports, while also criticizing Saudi Arabia for pressuring Bangladesh on repatriation efforts.

Following the fall of the Awami League government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Abrar has critiqued the reactions of Indian politicians and media, describing them as prejudiced.