The phrase “Except Israel” has been reinstated on Bangladeshi passports. The Ministry of Home Affairs today, Sunday, issued an official order restoring the wording, which had been removed six years ago during the tenure of the now-ousted Awami League government.
The ministry has also instructed the Department of Immigration and Passports to take the necessary steps to implement the change.
Officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs said that all newly issued passports will carry the phrase “Except Israel”.
They added that the decision was taken to bring the passport into line with Bangladesh's foreign policy, public sentiment and the country's long-standing position on the Palestinian issue.
According to the government order, the existing images in the e-passport booklet have been rearranged and the design revised, expanded and updated, with the watermarks reorganised accordingly.
A review of the order shows that several changes have been made to the e-passport watermarks.
The new watermarks include images associated with the July 2024 mass uprising, featuring Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur; Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho; and Wasim Akrum.
In addition, symbols representing all major religions have been incorporated into the e-passport.
Sources at the Ministry of Home Affairs said that Bangladesh introduced its electronic passport service in 2020 under the Awami League government at a cost of approximately Tk 45 billion (4,500 crore). It was at that time that the phrase “Except Israel” was removed.
Previously, Bangladeshi passports carried the statement that the passport was valid for travel to all countries of the world except Israel. Following its removal, various groups called for the wording to be reinstated.
After the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) assumed office on 17 February following victory in the 13th parliamentary elections, the government began a process of revising several features of the passport.
The Ministry of Home Affairs held a series of meetings on the matter before submitting a summary to the prime minister.
According to ministry sources, the prime minister instructed that several new images be added to the e-passport. Those images have now been incorporated into the watermark design through today's official order.
Among the new watermark images are Abu Sayed standing with both arms outstretched during the July 2024 protests in Rangpur; Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho standing in Azampur, Uttara, holding bottles of water; and Wasim Akrum, wearing a Bangladesh national flag jersey. Together, the three images appear under the title “July Mass Uprising 2024”.
New e-passport watermarks
The watermarks in newly issued e-passports will include: the national flower, the water lily; the Royal Bengal Tiger; the national bird, the Oriental Magpie-Robin (Doel); the Shaheed Minar; the National Martyrs' Memorial; the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban; the Supreme Court of Bangladesh; Kantanagar Temple in Dinajpur; Shikha Anirban at Suhrawardy Udyan; Lalbagh Fort; Cox's Bazar sea beach with its casuarina trees (excluding boats); Tanguar Haor in Sunamganj; the national fish, hilsa; Nilgiri in Bandarban; Ahsan Manzil in Dhaka; The national fruit, jackfruit; Bandarban's Golden Temple; Baitul Mukarram National Mosque; Mango orchards in Rajshahi; historic Panam Nagar in Sonargaon, Narayanganj; Curzon Hall; the Sixty Dome Mosque; Golden fibre jute; tea gardens; the Sundarbans; the Holy Rosary Church; and Zainul Abedin's painting 'Sangram'.
According to ministry sources, a number of images have been removed from the passport design. These include the mausoleum of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara, the Swadhinata Stambha (Independence Monument) at Suhrawardy Udyan, the Model Mosque, Bangabandhu Bridge (Jamuna Bridge), the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre, the Bangabandhu Satellite, the Padma Bridge, the Dhaka Metro Rail, the image of Cox's Bazar beach featuring boats, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, and the Mujibnagar Government Memorial in Meherpur.
Officials of the Department of Immigration and Passports said that, in accordance with the new directive, the phrase “Except Israel” will be introduced gradually on newly issued passports.
According to them, existing passport holders will not face any immediate changes. They will receive the updated version when renewing their passports after expiry. The revised watermark design will appear in both the 48-page and 64-page passport booklets.
FP/R
