The interim government does not view the departure of family members of Indian High Commission officials or New Delhi’s decision to designate Bangladesh as a “non-family posting” as a signal of deteriorating bilateral relations, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hossain said the government sees no immediate cause for such a move given the current domestic security situation.
“So far, no such incident has occurred,” he said, adding that the overall security environment “has not deteriorated to that level.”
The adviser stressed that Bangladesh cannot interfere in another country’s internal administrative decisions regarding the safety of diplomatic personnel and their families.
He noted that Indian authorities had not formally conveyed any specific security threat to the Bangladesh government. Referring to recent unrest, Hossain said both the Indian mission and Bangladesh’s own facilities had faced attacks during that period.
“We raised our concerns regarding security arrangements, and they informed us that they had taken measures. We also took adequate security steps as requested,” he said. “Whether they are satisfied or not is not for us to decide. We did everything within our capacity and provided what they asked for.”
Rohingya passport issue
The foreign adviser also addressed reports regarding Bangladeshi passports issued to Rohingyas residing in Saudi Arabia, confirming that Dhaka has reached an understanding with Riyadh to renew passports for approximately 69,000 Rohingyas currently living there.
He said the situation dates back several years, when many Rohingyas obtained handwritten Bangladeshi passports through administrative lapses and corruption, enabling them to travel to Saudi Arabia.
“The Saudi government has been pressing Bangladesh to renew these passports,” Hossain said. “While we initially tried to avoid this, we ultimately decided to proceed in order to protect broader national interests.”
Clarifying the government’s position, he stressed that issuing passports does not confer citizenship.
“A passport does not necessarily mean citizenship,” he said, adding that travel documents can be issued to non-citizens for specific purposes. “This does not alter their status as displaced persons.”
