Hasina rues ‘life in captivity of protocol, security’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has again spoken of her sadness for not being able to move freely as she is entrapped by protocol and security.

“There were days when I had held meetings at three places in Jeddah. But I can’t get the opportunity to move freely now,” she told an event in the Saudi Arabian city on Thursday.

“Now I am confined to the web of protocol and security. That’s my problem,” she added.

Hasina also reminisced about how she had travelled with the expatriates in Saudi Arabia when she had not been prime minister.

Citing the pressure of work she faces as head of government, she rued her inability to meet everyone she knew in Jeddah.

At the event, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of the chancery building for the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Jeddah.

She noted that the money remitted by the expatriates plays an important role in Bangladesh’s economy. She urged them to raise awareness about getting skills training before coming to Saudi Arabia for job.

Hasina arrived in the Gulf kingdom on a four-day tour on Tuesday. She met King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday. 

She offered prayers at the grave of Prophet Muhammad in Madinah earlier on Thursday and was scheduled to perform Umrah in Makkah later. She will return home on Friday.