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Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain accused the former ousted Awami League governments of facilitating the theft of money from banks, claiming it was not an accidental occurrence but rather a scheme supported by the highest levels of authority.
During his speech at the inauguration of the first phase of the Integrated Online Authentication Management (Apostille Convention 1961) at the foreign ministry, Hossain expressed concerns over certain banks being deliberately weakened. He suggested that good banks were being burdened with bad loans, a situation that, according to him, would not have been possible without the backing of top officials.
Hossain stressed the importance of eliminating corruption in processes like the newly introduced authentication system, acknowledging that while completely eradicating corruption is difficult, removing opportunities for it is crucial.
He also touched upon the issue of 60,000 Bangladeshi passports being delayed in Italy, attributing the problem to credibility issues with documents and improper handling by an organization in Italy.
Addressing Bangladesh’s image abroad, Hossain pointed out incidents like Bangladeshi lawmakers being arrested in foreign countries. He emphasized that a nation’s image takes time to build but can be tarnished quickly, stressing that while positive actions can improve perceptions, negative ones can significantly harm a country’s reputation.
On the topic of staffing shortages in foreign missions, he highlighted the challenges faced by missions like in Qatar, where the embassy must process a large volume of passports daily, making it difficult to offer other services. He revealed that efforts are underway to increase staff in missions and digitize services, aiming to modernize the system and provide passport services without requiring applicants to visit missions in person.
Foreign Secretary Md. Jasim Uddin, Cabinet Division Secretary Mahmudul Hossain Khan, and ICT Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury also spoke at the event.
