The red passports of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her cabinet, and members of parliament in Bangladesh have been revoked. Mohammad Moshiur Rahman, Senior Secretary of the Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, told BBC Bangla that they no longer qualify for red passports as they are no longer in office. Red diplomatic passports are issued based on position, and since they no longer hold those positions, they won’t receive these passports anymore.
Moshiur Rahman explained that once a red passport is revoked, it can no longer be used. The revocation process was done online. Since these are e-passports, they have been withdrawn from the system, and it’s no longer possible for anyone to travel using these passports through our immigration.
In addition to the Security Services Division, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issues red passports. He mentioned that both ministries have been instructed to revoke these passports.
He added that to prevent the use of these passports abroad, the remaining implementation would need to be done through Interpol.
When asked about the status of the passports of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana, Rahman stated, “They haven’t exited the country yet. Doesn’t one have to exit through an airport or some port? That hasn’t happened.”
He further added, “So, the passport is automatically invalid, legally invalid. I don’t know how they entered that country either. If the entry wasn’t proper, then neither the exit nor entry was legitimate. Thus, the passport becomes unusable by itself.”
On August 5, Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country for India with her sister Sheikh Rehana.
