Former ambassador to Lebanon to face action, says foreign minister

Former Bangladesh Ambassador to Lebanon AFM Gausul Azam Sarker will face administrative measures, said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.

Azam Sarker, recalled on Saturday, had been replaced by the foreign ministry’s Director General M Nazrul Islam, he said.

“There was no option but to bring him back. He was given warnings before. But he couldn’t improve the situation,” Ali told reporters at a news briefing on Sunday.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said the envoy had been instructed to return as he was not being able to operate the mission in Beirut ‘properly’.

The foreign minister said the decision to bring back Sarker was ‘hard but extremely necessary’.

“He will face administrative measures. Internal coordination and management had completely fallen off. So we had to bring him back.”

Ali believed the step will restore discipline in Bangladesh mission in Beirut.

He was asked about the sudden resignation of Ameerah Haq as UN under-secretary-general.

The foreign minister said: “She is an accomplished daughter of the country. The kind of success she achieved while working in various UN departments makes us proud.”