In a bold move, Bangladesh’s transitional government has decided to cancel all diplomatic passports, including the one used by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to seek refuge in India. The decision, confirmed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, is aimed at revoking passports allocated to government officials and members of parliament.
This decision comes in light of the strained relations between Bangladesh and India due to Hasina’s stay in India post the student-led revolution on August 5. The senior secretary of the Security Services Division, Md Mashiur Rahman, stated that an official order will soon be issued to cancel diplomatic passports.
Ministers and lawmakers, no longer in their positions due to the abolished parliament, will have to return their red passports and apply for ordinary ones. Those with criminal cases against them will have to undergo the legal process to obtain regular passports.
With the exact number of red passport holders undisclosed, the cancellation of red passports will apply to all whose tenure in government has ended, including Prime Minister Hasina. Meanwhile, the government is contemplating seeking India’s extradition of Hasina due to the multiple cases against her.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed office to lead the transitional administration after the student protests, which resulted in nearly 650 deaths according to a UN report.