The body of a Bangladeshi worker killed in a Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport arrived in Dhaka on Friday.
The victim Md Shahed Ahmed Ashik, 35, reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 8.35am, where State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam received it before handing it over to his family.
Shahed was among 13 people killed in the October 10 attack on the airport in Riyadh, including two Bangladeshis. The attack also injured 308 people, including several Bangladeshi nationals.
Speaking to journalists at the airport, Shama said the government had coordinated with several ministries to bring Shahed’s body home swiftly.
“We have brought back 10 deceased expatriates so far after the Middle East conflict broke out. He is the 11th,” she said, expressing condolences to the bereaved family.
She also said that more than four million Bangladeshis lived in Saudi Arabia, making the safety and welfare of migrant workers a major concern for Dhaka.
Apart from it she also revealed that around 7,500 Bangladeshis were imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
“More or less 7,500 Bangladeshis are in different jails in Saudi Arabia on various charges. We are checking whether the names of the two Bangladeshis who were executed recently are on the list,” she told journalists.
The minister said Bangladesh had formally requested the Saudi authorities to provide copies of the verdicts against Nazrul Islam Abdul Bashir and Sweety Akter, two Bangladeshi nationals who were recently executed in the Makkah region.
“We have not received detailed information about the executions. We have officially requested the Saudi authorities to provide copies of the verdicts. We will be able to learn more once we receive them,” she said.
Dhaka has sought an explanation from Riyadh over the lack of prior notification, as well as details of the judicial proceedings.
“Every country has its own judicial system. Many procedures must be followed to bring detainees home,” Shama said.
She said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked with the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the Ministry of Home Affairs to address legal issues involving Bangladeshi nationals abroad.
“When we learn that any Bangladeshi has been sentenced in Saudi Arabia, we communicate with the Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels to seek a reduction in the sentence or explore whether there is any process for a pardon,” she said.
The minister stressed that Bangladesh would not interfere in another country’s judicial system but would make every possible effort to protect its citizens.
“The problem is that we were not informed of the sentences imposed on the two Bangladeshis who were executed,” she added.
She also urged Bangladeshis seeking employment overseas to familiarise themselves with the laws and regulations of their destination countries.
The government, she said, was working to address problems faced by migrant workers, including excessive recruitment costs driven up by intermediaries.
Shahed’s return brought an end to his family’s wait for his body but left his wife and two young sons facing an uncertain future.
“I was crying. He told me, ‘Don’t cry. I will go home in an hour or an hour and a half and call you,'” Kohinur Akter Kakoli, spouse of Shahed, told journalists at the airport said.
“But I was very frightened. I had never felt such fear before. I did not want him to go because there was a war in Saudi Arabia, but he insisted on going.”
Shahed had returned to Bangladesh for a holiday of about a month, spending most of his time with his wife and children rather than going out with friends.
The family had two sons, five-year-old Jihad and 10-year-old Kawsar, who accompanied relatives to the airport to receive their father’s body.
Kakoli, 26, said she had married Shahed when she was 13 and was now struggling to understand how she would raise their children without him.
“There is nobody else to take responsibility for my two children. I want to live my whole life with them,” she said, appealing to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to support her family and help secure her children’s future.
Shahed worked as a plumber for Saad Al-Essa Contracting Company and held a valid Saudi residence permit, known as an iqama.
He was returning to his workplace in Jeddah via Riyadh after spending time in Bangladesh following his brother’s death when the attack occurred.
Meanwhile, the government has provided immediate financial assistance to Shahed’s family through the Wage Earners’ Welfare Board.
The assistance includes Tk 35,000 towards burial and transportation expenses and a special grant of Tk 50,000 following his death in the conflict.
A free ambulance was also arranged to transport his body to his home village of Malipara in Madla union, Shajahanpur upazila, in Bogura.
His employer has deposited 27,395.62 Saudi riyals, equivalent to approximately Tk 9 lakh, into the account of the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh.
The amount covers his outstanding salary, allowances and service benefits and will be handed over to his family through the welfare board.
The family may also qualify for an additional Tk 3 lakh, subject to possession of a valid Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training card or equivalent identification.
A further Tk 10 lakh in insurance benefits may be available, depending on the applicable coverage. Shama Obaed assured the family that the government would continue to provide assistance.