PM orders urgent measures for expats’ safety in ME

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman orders urgent measures for safety of Bangladeshi nationals in Iran and across the Middle East as escalating regional conflict forces flight cancellations.

After arriving at his office at the secretariat on Sunday morning, Tarique Rahman held meeting with Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and his foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir to review the situation.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kabir said the prime minister sought detailed updates on the condition of Bangladeshis living in countries affected by US-Israel strikes on Iran and issued "necessary directives" to ensure their safety.

He wouldn't specify the number of citizens at risk but said missions in the region had been asked to remain vigilant.

The prime minister also instructed relevant authorities to ease the suffering of passengers stranded at airports after several Middle East-bound flights were cancelled due to the unfolding crisis.

Particular attention has been given to conditions at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport where passengers have been facing delays and uncertainty.

According to officials, the prime minister is maintaining "round-the-clock oversight" of the situation

at the airport.

The civil aviation minister and the state minister have been tasked with supervising response efforts, with the state minister present at the airport since morning.

Asked whether the country would face fuel crisis due to supply-chain disruption amid raging war, and reported closure of Hormuz Strait, Kabir said Bangladesh currently has "sufficient fuel reserves".

However, he points out that when war erupts in the Middle East, it impacts global oil prices.

In separate meetings, the prime minister discussed post-earthquake disaster preparedness with disaster management minister Asadul Habib Dulu, directing officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan.

He later met the power and energy minister as the government weighed the broader economic implications of regional instability.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com