DHAKA: Bangladesh has restored an “except (the Zionist entity)” inscription on passports, local media reported Sunday, effectively barring its citizens from travelling to the Jewish state. The entity is a flashpoint issue in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which does not recognize the country. The phrase “valid for all countries except (the Zionist entity),” which was printed on Bangladeshi passports for decades, was removed during the later years of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.

Nilima Afroze, a deputy secretary at the home ministry, told Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency on Sunday that authorities had “issued a directive last week” to restore the inscription. “The director general of the department of immigration and passport was asked to take necessary measures to implement this change,” local newspaper The Daily Star quoted Afroze as saying Sunday.

In 2021, the words “except (the Zionist entity)” were removed from passports, although the then government under Hasina clarified that the country’s stance on the entity had not changed. The country’s support for an independent Palestinian state was visible on Saturday when around 100,000 people gathered in Dhaka in solidarity with Gaza. — AFP