25 STRANDED BANGLADESHIS IN AFGHANISTAN
Bureaucratic tussle delays return
“They are purely victims of fraud and have nothing to do with things like militancy, extremism”
HUMAYUN KABIR BHUIYAN
The bureaucratic wrangling between the two ministries concerned is contributing to the suffering of 25 Bangladeshis stranded in Herat Province of Afghanistan since January.
These 25 Bangladeshis, who are now under the custody of the Herat provincial government, cannot be brought back due to the tussle between the foreign ministry and the expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministry with particular regard to the cost of the repatriation, sources concerned told The Independent, adding that both the ministries are now exchanging letters in this regard without taking prompt actions to bring the ill-fated Bangladeshis back home.
The sources, however, categorically said that these Bangladeshis are purely victims of fraud and that they have nothing to do with things like militancy or extremism.
The foreign ministry thinks that as this matter is related to the welfare of the expatriates and overseas employment, the responsibility of bringing back the stranded Bangladeshis rests on the shoulder of the expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministry.
On the other hand, the expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministry is of the opinion that as these Bangladeshis did not go to Afghanistan in accordance with the rules set by the ministry and their names are not in the database of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), so they fall in the category of general stranded Bangladeshis. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the foreign ministry to bring them back.
According to multiple sources, these 25 Bangladeshis went to Afghanistan in October thorough an Indian middleman, who assured them of lucrative jobs. They went to Herat with a one-month Afghan visa from the Afghan embassy in Dhaka. They were given jobs at a steel mill and first three months were good. The Bangladeshis were given salaries in these three months.
After three months, their visas were not renewed,the steel mill was closed and now there is no trace of the Indian middleman. The Bangladeshis are now residing in the still mill in an unsuitable situation.
As per the Afghan rules, a heavy fine has been imposed on these 25 Bangladeshis for overstaying in Afghanistan.
Some of the victims have been able to contact the Bangladesh embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which is also responsible for Afghanistan as Bangladesh has no embassy there. Ambassador to Uzbekistan Mosud Mannan said that the matter came to their knowledge on August 4 and the Afghan embassy in Tashkent and the foreign and expatriates welfare ministries in Dhaka have been informed. He hoped that the Bangladeshis will be repatriated soon.
Having been informed, we immediately informed the foreign office of Herat and the Afghan ambassador to Dhaka. At the request of the Afghan envoy, the office of the governor of heart has taken the responsibilities of the Bangladeshis and have been taking care of them ever since, a senior foreign ministry official said.
The governors office has also written to the Afghan presidents office to waive the fine of the Bangladeshis for overstaying and the presidents office gave positive indication in this regard. Now, if the expatriates welfare ministry provides the fund to bring them back, it should not be a problem for the Bangladeshis to return home, he said.
The official also said, We have sent written letters to the expatriates welfare ministry in this regard. Even, I wrote one few days back, but yet to receive any reply from them.
They have a fund called Wage Earners Fund for this type of instances, he informed.
The job of the foreign ministry is to conduct the diplomatic and official activities and we are doing this properly. The rest rests on the expatriates welfare ministry, he added
When contacted, a senior official of the expatriates welfare ministry said on Tuesday, Yes, we have received the letters from the foreign ministry. Actually, we received a letter on Monday and we immediately put up the file. We also want our people to return home soon.
Asked if the ministry will provide fund to bring the 25 Bangladeshis back, he said, Look, these people have not gone to Afghanistan through the process of our ministry. Their names are not in our database. So, it is not our responsibility, said the official.
Describing them as general stranded Bangladeshis, he said, Like any other countries in the world, it is the task of the foreign ministry to bring them back.
About the funding, the official said that the foreign ministry can ask the finance ministry for the fund to bring them back. In our reply to the letters of the foreign ministry, we are going to draw their attention to these aspects, he added.
