Bangladesh ambassdors to six countries including US asked to return

Contractual appointments of Bangladesh ambassadors to the United States, Russia, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates have been cancelled. The high commissioner to the Maldives, who was on deputation, has also been asked to return home.

Separate gazette notifications signed by foreign ministry’s director general DM Salah Uddin on Wednesday ordered the seven Bangladeshi envoys to return home.

Asked about the transfer orders, foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen told Prothom Alo on Thursday evening, ‘A decision to cancel the contractual appointments was made in the meeting of the advisory council recently. In light of that decision, six ambassadors are being called to return.’

The six asked to return home are Mohammad Imran, the ambassador to the United States; Kamrul Ahsan, ambassador to Russia; Md Abu Jafar, ambassador to the United Arab Emirates; Shahabuddin Ahmad, ambassador to Japan; Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, ambassador to Germany and Mohammad Javed Patwari, ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The first three of them are career diplomats. They were performing contractual duties after expiry of their normal service period. Two former secretaries of government were posted in Japan and Germany and the ambassador appointed to Saudi Arabia was the former inspector general of police.

Navy’s top official rear admiral SM Abul Kalam Azad is the high commissioner in Maldives. He has also been recalled.

In separate orders, Arifa Rahman Ruma, official of Bangladesh embassy in the US; Aparna Rani Paul, official of Canada high commission and Mithila Farzana have also been asked to return home.

The interim government led by professor Dr Yunus on 11 August took eight decisions including cancellation of all contractual appointments in different government posts.