Bangladesh to issue passports to 69,000 Rohingyas in Saudi Arabia

Bangladesh has assured that the process of issuing passports to nearly 69,000 displaced Rohingyas residing in Saudi Arabia will be expedited, said Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

He made the announcement during a courtesy meeting on Thursday ( January 15) at his office in the Home Ministry Secretariat with Dr. Abdullah Jafar bin Abiyyah, the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh.

The meeting discussed the progress of passport issuance for Rohingyas in Saudi Arabia, manpower export, business and trade expansion, preparations for Bangladesh’s national elections, and Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming “World Defense Show” in Saudi Arabia, among other mutual interests.

Welcoming the ambassador, the Home Affairs Adviser said, “Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia are close and friendly nations. Saudi Arabia holds a special place in the hearts of the Bangladeshi people—not only as the holy land of Islam but also as the home for over 3.2 million Bangladeshi expatriate workers.”

He added that Bangladeshi expatriates play a significant role in the country’s economy and emphasized that further manpower deployment could strengthen bilateral ties.

Regarding passport issuance, the adviser said sufficient progress has been made. The Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia and the Department of Immigration and Passports are actively managing the process. To speed up the procedure, a special team from the Home Ministry has also been deployed. However, attendance for passport enrolment has been lower than the number of applications received, a matter already communicated to the Saudi Interior Minister.

On preparations for the national elections, he noted that the primary responsibility lies with the Election Commission, while law enforcement ensures security and order. Police forces have been trained, circulars issued, and operations conducted to recover illegal arms. Regular operations, including “Devil Hunt Phase-2,” are ongoing.

The Saudi ambassador invited the Home Affairs Adviser to participate in the World Defense Show in Riyadh from February 8–14. However, due to Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary elections on (February 12), he will be unable to attend and confirmed that an appropriate representative will participate instead.

The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary of the Home Ministry’s Immigration Wing, Faisal Ahmed, and Joint Secretary of Political-1 Division, Md. Jasim Uddin Khan, among others.