Regarding the special protocols that diplomats stationed in Bangladesh were getting after the 2016 Holey Artisan Attack in Dhaka's Gulshan, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said that it was never an official order from the government.
There are no rules for providing any additional protocols for diplomats in Bangladesh, not even for ministers or state ministers, he told media on Monday.
He noted that the Bangladesh government follows internationally recognized rules and widespread practices around the world when it comes to giving protection to diplomats.
“If I am not mistaken, every diplomat stationed in Bangladesh was provided with an armed gunman. Apart from that, they are also provided with police protection in most of the places, including their homes, and embassies,” he added.
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The state minister explained that the extra protection that the government said it would not provide anymore, is not included in any type of agreement or rule.
He said after the Holey Artisan attack, some diplomats personally asked for extra protection from the government, and especially from the police. “And that was given to them unofficially, as a token of appreciation. Therefore, since this privilege was granted to them unofficially, it is not obligatory for us to formally inform them about its withdrawal.”
Manpower shortage
The state minister mentioned that some recently appointed diplomats or high commissioners have requested additional security from the government.
However, fulfilling this request is not feasible for the Bangladesh Police due to their shortage of staff.
In this regard, the state minister said that the government has established a dedicated Bangladesh Ansar force to alleviate the issue.
This decision was made considering that Bangladesh Ansar has relatively fewer responsibilities to maintain.
“The government has formed a specialized force to provide security for diplomats. However, individuals seeking this service must submit a written application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.
Shahriar said the foreign establishments that want extra protection can avail the service from the guard regiment for a certain fees.
“This will help us earn some extra money,” he added.
No change in official security protocols
The state minister noted that Bangladeshi officials do not get any kind of special treatment from 80-90% of the countries they travel to. “Police protection goes far beyond that.”
He said: “Officials from Bangladesh embassies all over the world, and other stationed officials do not receive security provided by the host countries' leading police officials, nor do they receive any additional security at their residences or offices.”
The state minister noted that Bangladesh, exceptionally, has been granting this special security measure to the officials stationed here for years, and has intention to keep on doing so as well.
“However, only the future will tell if we will be able to alter the current system,” he noted.
The government has only withdrawn the additional police squad, but the security protocols that was officially provided for the diplomats would not change, he concluded.
The government took the decision to withdraw the additional protocol privileges on Sunday, Dhaka Police Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq told the media on Monday.
Embassies and police were informed of the decision through a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a week ago.
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune on Monday evening, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said: “We are not getting extra protocol, are we? Actually, there are no rules for extra protocol for anyone here.
“After the Gulshan attack, some of the diplomats working in Dhaka used to get extra protocol for security reasons. Now we are reassessing the situation,” clarified Shahriar, who was in his car without protocol in front of the Ganabhaban gate.
