Staff Reporter :
A joint task force consisting of officials from Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will be formed to protect Bangladeshi job seekers from fraud and harassment, Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud has announced.
“To bring transparency to sending manpower to Saudi Arabia and to stop our workers’ harassment here, we have devised a solution in a fruitful meeting with the KSA foreign minister.
We have agreed to form a joint task force to address this issue,” Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said during a meeting with Bangladeshi expatriates at the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh on Monday evening.
The Foreign Ministry released a press statement on Tuesday.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Private Industry and Investment, Salman F. Rahman, also participated in the meeting. Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Md. Javed Patwary presided over the meeting, which was also addressed by the Foreign Ministry’s Additional Secretary Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam.
The event was attended by expatriate academics, doctors, business representatives, and professionals.
Dr. Hasan Mahmud stated that a productive discussion with the Saudi Foreign Minister focused on forming the task force. The aim is to enhance transparency in the recruitment process of Bangladeshi workers to Saudi Arabia and prevent harassment by dishonest recruiting agencies or their local agents. The foreign minister noted that Bangladesh’s progress under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been globally praised, including by Saudi Arabia.
He emphasized the extensive contributions of expatriates to the national economy and highlighted several government initiatives for expatriates, including incentives for remittance transfers, universal pension schemes, loans through the Expatriates’ Welfare Bank, and online offshore banking management for foreign currency accounts.
Dr. Hasan Mahmud urged expatriates to adhere to local laws and remain vigilant against anti-national misinformation. He also assured them of enhanced consular services at Bangladeshi missions in Saudi Arabia to provide better service.
The foreign minister also addressed issues such as the hiring of more skilled Bangladeshi professionals in Saudi Arabia and easing the renewal of residence permits (iqama) to reduce harassment. Additionally, he assured the launch of direct flights from Chittagong to Riyadh.
Moreover, he pledged to offer wage earner bonds, provide expatriate health insurance, repatriate the bodies of deceased expatriates, offer legal assistance, renew family visas, renew passports through the embassy, and correct NID card information.
Salman F. Rahman urged expatriates to explore various investment opportunities in Bangladesh, including offshore banking.
The foreign minister also stressed the importance of raising awareness among Bangladeshis to prevent fraud and emphasized the need to verify employers’ credentials before migrating to Saudi Arabia.