The omission of the words “except Israel” from Bangladeshi passport is unacceptable, Palestinian Ambassador in Dhaka Yousef SY Ramadan has said, dismissing the notion that the action is necessary to meet the global standard.
He also said that he had requested meetings with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin for a clarification on the issue.
“I’m aware of the development. Every country has the sovereign right to take decision on passport or any other issues. Having admitted that, I would say this decision is unacceptable to us,” Yousef SY Ramadan, the ambassador of State of Palestine in Bangladesh, told Dhaka Tribune on Sunday night.
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“The decision of the government of Bangladesh has come days after the latest Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians and I don’t think it is in line with the principles Bangladesh pursues when it comes to the Palestinians,” he said.
When reminded of the government’s position that it had been done to meet the international standard, the envoy dismissed outright, posing a couple of questions: “Are you saying that Bangladeshi passport did not maintain the international standard in last 50 years? Are the countries like Indonesia and Malaysia which still keeps the provision on their passports not meeting the global standard?”
“I have requested meetings with the home minister and the ambassador-at-large for the clarification. Let’s see what they have to say,” he said.
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Ambassador Ramadan was full of praise for the people of Bangladesh for their unwavering support for the Palestinians all the time, especially during the crises including the recent one.
“We are so grateful to our Bangladeshi brothers and sisters for their strong support for the causes of the Palestinians. During the latest episode of Israeli atrocities against our people we have experienced the level of compassion of the Bangladeshis for the Palestinians,” he said.
“Many people braved the pandemic and lockdown to come to our embassy to show their support and donate money. We simply cannot ask for more,” he added.
