Bangladesh Working to Extend Iqama Validity for Expatriates in Saudi Arabia: Shama Obaed

The Bangladesh government is working to extend the validity of visas and iqamas for expatriates stranded in Saudi Arabia, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has said.

She also said efforts were underway to repatriate the remains of Bangladeshis killed in the Middle East conflict and provide assistance to their families.

Shama Obaed spoke to reporters on Friday morning, October 23, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after receiving the body of Bangladeshi national Md. Shahed Ahmed. He was reportedly killed in a missile strike at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The state minister said the bodies of 11 Bangladeshis killed in the Middle East war over the past six months had been brought back to the country. Efforts were continuing to repatriate the remains of others, she added.

She said the government would provide all possible assistance to the families of the deceased. During the occasion, she handed a government assistance cheque to a family member of the deceased.

Responding to a question about Bangladeshi expatriates stranded in Saudi Arabia, Shama Obaed said the government was working to extend the validity of their visas and iqamas.

The state minister also said Bangladesh was holding discussions with the Saudi government to obtain detailed information about the executions of two Bangladeshi nationals in the kingdom.

According to her, Bangladesh has requested copies of the court verdicts to learn more about the cases and the circumstances surrounding the executions.

Shama Obaed further claimed that Saudi authorities had not informed the Bangladesh Embassy or consulate in advance about the executions.

The government is continuing its efforts concerning assistance for expatriates, legal information about the cases and the repatriation of the remains of Bangladeshis killed in the conflict, she said.