British-Bangladeshis living in the UK have demanded that difficulties over holding Bangladeshi NID cards, passports and getting VISAs be resolved.
They placed the demands during the visit of President Hamid to London on Wednesday.
A group of expatriate Bangladeshis in the UK under the banner of "United Kingdom Awami League Unit" submitted an application to him coinciding with several demands.
The demands include: allowing UK citizens of Bangladeshi origin in holding Bangladeshi passports, resolving in getting Bangladeshi VISA complications, Bangladeshi National Identity Card (NID) cards and allowing anybody to give ‘power of attorney’ to someone to maintain or oversee financial assets in Bangladesh.
The UK unit Awami League president Sultan Mahmud Sharif told BSS that about one million British-Bangladeshis live in Britain and many of them are in trouble due to the lack of valid Bangladeshi passports, most of them are now afraid of losing their property in Bangladesh also.
He said after the independence, British-Bangladeshis have been using Bangladeshi passport as NID to execute the power of attorney but the Bangladesh High Commission recently announced that only legitimate Bangladeshi citizens can be able to use Bangladeshi passports during the reconciliation period.
Organisation’s Information and Research Editor Barrister Abul Kalam Chowdhury told BSS that due to this complication, they are unable to visit Bangladesh to transfer property due to lack of NID. On the other hand, due to lack of valid passport, what could be done from abroad has now stopped.
He urged the government to take immediate action to address issues to reduce sufferings of about one million people.
During the meeting with the President,Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneen, AL UK branch president freedom fighter Sultan Mahmood Sharif, general secretary Syed Sajidur Rahman Farooq, organizing secretary Abdul Ahad Chowdhury and information and research secretary barrister Abul Kalam were present.
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