DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

Bangladesh has suspended the on-arrival visa facility for all eligible countries from today until February 15 to prevent any untoward incident during the upcoming election.

Speaking to reporters at the foreign ministry yesterday, Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain said, “We’ve been instructed to do so to avoid untoward incidents during the polls. Unexpected people may come here. They should not come here all of a sudden.

“We are not stopping visas. They can still come with regular visas, not on-arrival ones.”

Earlier on Monday, the home ministry issued a guideline to streamline entry procedures for foreigners while maintaining security and effective monitoring during the election period.

The guideline said existing policies must be strictly followed when issuing all types of visas, including verification of required documents, and that coordination among concerned agencies should be strengthened.

It had not, however, specified that on-arrival visas were suspended.

The suspension was later confirmed through a Facebook post by the Bhutan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, which said the Bangladesh embassy in Thimphu had officially conveyed the decision to suspend on-arrival visas for all eligible countries, including Bhutan.

Asked about the interim government’s interest in principle in joining an International

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