Panic among expatriates in the Middle East must be removed

The joint attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, and Iran’s counter-attack in the Gulf region in response have clearly created a security crisis there. Naturally, this situation has raised concerns among the families concerned, as well as the public, about the safety of our migrants working in various countries in the region, including Iran.
This concern has deepened, especially in the last three-four days, with reports of several Bangladeshis being killed in various countries, including one people in the United Arab Emirates and another in Bahrain on Saturday and Monday respectively. This picture has brought to the fore the question of the safety of Bangladeshis working in the Middle East.
We know that Iran has targeted countries in the region where US bases are located, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, in response to US attacks. On the other hand, the number of Bangladeshis working in Saudi Arabia alone is over 2.2 million; if we add the number of Bangladeshis living in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iran and other crisis-hit countries, the total number is around 4 million.
It is feared as long as the US-Israeli aggression against Iran continues; the more Bangladeshi casualties living in those countries will increase. It is to be noted that a large portion of Bangladesh’s expatriate income comes from the currently troubled countries of the region. Remittances have been the main source of support for the government. They are also one of the main sources of assistance in meeting the huge annual import bills.
Another important point is that remittances have already emerged as the main driving force of our rural economy. Most of our migrants are from rural areas, mainly from marginalized families. From that perspective, the migration program is playing an important role in empowering marginalized groups, including marginalized women. There is no room for laxity or indifference regarding the security of these migrants.
Meanwhile, in response to the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Mission in Tehran has already started activities to ensure the safety and security of the establishment, diplomats and other officials and employees, including Bangladeshi students studying in Iran. Similarly, necessary measures will have to be taken in other countries in the region.
We express our support for the position of the Bangladesh government that ‘peaceful resolution of disputes is possible only through dialogue, mutual respect, and commitment to international law’. However, we also think that the most important thing right now is to handle the situation calmly.