YEARS
The move, for which a formal notification is yet to be issued, will also apply to diplomatic passports of officers who were sent on compulsory retirement or whose contracts were terminated, a senior Home Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
Bangladesh’s interim government has begun the process of cancelling all diplomatic passports, including those of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her Cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs). The move, for which a formal notification is yet to be issued, will also apply to diplomatic passports of officials who were sent into compulsory retirement or whose contracts were terminated, a senior Home Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The official said the interim government has decided to cancel diplomatic passports, commonly known as “red passports” because of their colour. These individuals are no longer holding official posts. He said since they are no longer in their posts, it was decided to cancel their passports. However, he said the Home Ministry has only issued verbal instructions to the Immigration and Passport Department on the matter, though no formal notification has been given yet. The official said written instructions may be sent to the department.
The decision was made in the backdrop of reports of several former cabinet ministers and lawmakers from Hasina’s Awami League party trying to flee Bangladesh. Hasina stepped down in the wake of student-led protests and fled to India on August 5. Some reports suggested that Hasina left without valid travel documents.
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