Dhaka - Saba:
Bangladesh has reinstated the phrase "except Israel" on its passports, effectively banning its citizens from traveling to the occupied entity.
In the final years of her term, the government of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina removed the phrase "valid for all countries except Israel," which had been included on Bangladeshi passports for decades.
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha news agency quoted Home Ministry official Nilima Afroz as saying on Monday that authorities "issued a directive last week" to reprint the phrase "except Israel" on passports.
The Home Ministry official told the local newspaper The Daily Star that the Director General of Immigration and Passports had been asked to take the necessary steps to implement this change.
In 2021, the phrase "except Israel" was removed from passports, but the Hasina-led government made it clear at the time that the country's stance toward the Zionist enemy had not changed.
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