Dhaka, October 23 (H.S.): Approximately 7,500 Bangladeshi nationals are being held in prisons across Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed Islam, has said. She stated that the government was working with Saudi authorities to obtain information about the cases involving its detained citizens. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to secure extensions of visas and iqamas for Bangladeshi migrant workers who have been unable to return to their workplaces because of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.

According to Bangladesh’s English-language newspaper The Daily Star, the state minister made these remarks while speaking to journalists at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after receiving the body of Bangladeshi national Mohammed Shahid Ahmed, who was killed in a missile attack in Saudi Arabia.

Shama Obaed Islam said that the ongoing conflict in West Asia had prevented many Bangladeshi workers from returning to their places of employment. In view of these circumstances, the government was holding discussions with Saudi authorities to extend the validity of their visas and iqamas. The government is also examining options for rehabilitating Bangladeshi nationals who have lost their jobs abroad and facilitating their re-employment.

An iqama is a residence permit issued to foreign nationals living in Saudi Arabia. Once its validity expires, migrant workers may face legal and administrative complications, making extensions particularly important for those unable to return to work because of the prevailing regional situation.

Commenting on the recent executions of two Bangladeshi nationals in Saudi Arabia, the state minister said the Bangladesh government had not yet received detailed information regarding the cases. The government has formally written to the Saudi authorities, requesting copies of the judgments delivered in both cases. The objective is to establish the facts surrounding the incidents and obtain details of the judicial proceedings.

Shama Obaed Islam observed that every country has its own judicial system and that Bangladesh cannot directly intervene in the judicial proceedings of another country. However, she stressed that the government has a responsibility to obtain information about cases involving its citizens abroad and take appropriate measures to assist them.

She added that the government was continuing its efforts to gather further information about the circumstances of Bangladeshi nationals detained in Saudi Arabia, as well as the cases involving the two executions.

Saudi Arabia remains one of the principal destinations for Bangladeshi migrant workers. Consequently, addressing the circumstances of thousands of Bangladeshi nationals held in Saudi prisons, resolving their employment-related difficulties and securing information and assistance in legal matters remain significant challenges for the government in Dhaka.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar