Bangladeshi expatriates being returned amid Gulf conflict, says State Minister Shama

State minister says citizens are being repatriated safely while Bangladesh pushes for diplomatic resolution

Bangladeshi expatriates are being repatriated from Iran and other countries due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said.

The foreign missions are maintaining contact with the expatriates and authorities in Bangladesh are “ensuring their safety”, she said in Faridpur on Monday.

“So far, five Bangladeshis have been killed amid the ongoing war in the region. Considering the situation, expatriates are being brought back from Iran and elsewhere. More will return in phases,” she said during a gathering at Talma Nazim Uddin School in Nagarkanda Upazila.

She noted that 280 expatriates have already returned from Iran on a special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight.

“Those wishing to return will be brought back in due course,” she said.

Shama also spoke about bringing the fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, sentenced to death by the ICT for crimes against humanity in attempts to suppress the July Uprising, back from India under Bangladeshi law to face trial.