Recently, posts containing images of old and new Bangladeshi passports have been circulating on Facebook. These posts claim that the line “This passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel” has been changed to “This passport is valid for all countries of the world” in the new passports due to Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s support for Israel. The implication is that Bangladeshis can now travel to Israel using the new passport. However, FactWatch’s investigation reveals that this change was introduced in 2021 during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure. The move was taken solely to maintain the international standard of Bangladesh’s e-passports. It did not signify any shift in the country’s foreign policy concerning Israel. Therefore, FactWatch deems the viral posts to be false.

FactWatch Investigation:

To verify whether any change has actually been made to the Bangladeshi passport, as claimed in the viral Facebook posts, a search was conducted using relevant keywords. No reliable evidence was found to support the claim. However, a report published on May 24, 2021, on the official website of BBC Bangla confirmed that although previous passports included a travel restriction to Israel, this line was omitted in the new e-passport. The report quoted then Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen stating, “This change was made six months ago in the new e-passport system.” Additionally, then Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told the BBC that “the decision for this change was made a year ago, and its implementation began six months ago.” In other words, this change in Bangladesh’s new passport had already been implemented six months before the BBC Bangla report was published.

A related report can also be found on the official website of Prothom Alo, which cited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as stating that although the reference to Israel was removed from the passport, the travel ban for Bangladeshi citizens remains in effect, and there has been no change in the country’s foreign policy. The removal of the phrase “not valid for travel to Israel” was carried out to align with international standards for e-passports. The same information was reported by Samakal, Jugantor, Ittefaq, Kaler Kantho, and the official website of the Bangladesh Awami League. In other words, this change was made under the previous Awami League government and has no connection to the current interim government.

For these reasons, FactWatch has identified the baseless viral posts as false.

Original News Source: https://www.fact-watch.org/bangladeshi-passport/