DHAKA: (Apr 13) Bangladesh has reintroduced “except Israel” inscription on passports debarring its citizens from travelling to the Jewish state as public anger mounted against Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, officials said on Sunday.
The home ministry issued a directive asking the passport and immigration department to reinstate the sentence “THIS PASSPORT IS VALID FOR ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD EXCEPT ISRAEL” in the official travel permits for citizens visiting abroad, the state-run BSS news agency reported.
The phrase “all countries except Israel” was dropped in 2021 during the Awami League government led by now-deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The authorities at that time said it was dropped from the passport to maintain international standards of the document. PTI
