Online Desk:
Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdullah Zafer Bin Abiyah paid a courtesy call on Home Affairs Advisor Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd.) at his office in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Thursday (January 15, 2026) afternoon.
The meeting discussed various issues related to mutual interests, including the progress in issuing Bangladeshi passports to 69,000 Rohingyas (displaced Myanmar citizens) living in Saudi Arabia, manpower export and increasing mutual trade and commerce, preparations for Bangladesh’s national elections, and the invitation letter for Bangladesh’s participation in the ‘World Defense Show’ to be held in Saudi Arabia.
Welcoming the ambassador at the beginning of the meeting, the Advisor said that Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia are close friendly countries. He said that Saudi Arabia holds a special place in the hearts of the Bangladeshi people. It is deeply rooted in the hearts of Bangladeshis not only as the holy land of Islam but also as the second home of our more than 3.2 million expatriate workers. He also said that the contribution of Saudi expatriates continues to play an important role in the economy of Bangladesh. At this time, the advisor requested the ambassador to import more manpower from Bangladesh. He expressed hope that through this, the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia will be further strengthened.
The ambassador asked the advisor about the progress of issuing Bangladeshi passports to the 69,000 Rohingyas (displaced Myanmar citizens) living in Saudi Arabia. The advisor said that considerable progress has been made in this regard. The Bangladesh Mission in Saudi Arabia and the Bangladesh Immigration and Passport Department are working full speed on this issue. To expedite this, several special teams have also been sent from the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, the attendance rate in passport enrollment is much lower compared to the applications received by the mission. He said that the Interior Minister of Saudi Arabia has already been informed about this.
When the Ambassador asked about the preparations for the national elections, the Advisor said that the main responsibility for conducting the elections lies with the Election Commission. And the main responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs is to maintain law and order in the national elections. And we are fully prepared in this regard. He said that for the first time, various law enforcement agencies have been trained on the occasion of the national elections. A circular regarding the deployment of law enforcement agencies in the elections has also been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The operation to recover illegal and looted weapons has been accelerated. Regular operations of the law enforcement agencies, including ‘Devil Hunt Phase-2’, are underway.
The Ambassador invited the Advisor to participate in the World Defense Show to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 08-14 February 2026 and handed over an invitation letter from the Saudi Interior Minister to the Advisor. The Advisor said that due to the 13th National Assembly elections of Bangladesh to be held on 12 February 2026, he expressed his inability to participate in the event and confirmed the matter of sending a suitable representative.
Faisal Ahmed, Additional Secretary of the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and Md. Jasim Uddin Khan, Joint Secretary of the Political-1 Division, were present at the meeting.
