It is disheartening to learn that Bangladesh fell three places in the global passport ranking, standing at 100 now when we were at 97 last year. Bangladesh can now travel visa-free or with visa-on-arrival access to only 40 countries, down from 42 countries last year.
While the poor position is not a surprise, as the Bangladeshi passport has never been particularly strong, what is discouraging to see is that we are slipping further instead of making progress and strengthening our passport.
The passport a person holds is often a marker of how they are treated on foreign shores and it is unfortunate that due to the low esteem of the Bangladeshi passport, our citizens are often subjected to endless hassles regarding obtaining visas that many nationals simply do not have to face.
Furthermore, Bangladeshi citizens often face difficulty and harassment in foreign airports for matters that would once again be a non-factor for citizens of other countries.
To that end, as we look to build a better Bangladesh, it would do well for our authorities to make a concerted effort to raise the esteem of the Bangladesh passport. While this will in no way be an easy task, it is time to begin this conversation, and take the necessary measures to start rising in the ranks again.
This will not only go a long way to protect the rights and dignity of Bangladeshi citizens who need to travel abroad for numerous reasons but, in the long run, pay dividends in terms of boosting our overall economy and help us be taken more seriously on the global stage.
While we cannot expect our passport to rival those at the top of the index any time soon, there is no reason why we cannot at least begin expecting improvement.