The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reportedly instructed all Bangladeshi embassies, high commissions, consulates, and diplomatic residences abroad to remove the portrait of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
This directive, described by officials as ab oral instruction, is already being implemented and monitored across several missions.
According to ministry sources, the order was delivered over the phone to a number of ambassadors and high commissioners across different regions.
No official letter or email has yet been issued, but diplomats were told to pass on the order to other missions and ensure execution, said the sources.
Officials from missions in South Asia, Africa, and Europe said they have not received any written instructions, although at least two heads of mission confirmed receiving the directive directly from Dhaka.
A senior diplomat, requesting anonymity, said: “We were clearly told by phone that portraits of the President must be removed from chancery offices, consulates, and residences. We are now relaying this to other missions and monitoring implementation.”
Another diplomat added that in their region, one ambassador was tasked with overseeing the order, but the instruction reached others indirectly through colleagues.
The ministry itself has so far refrained from making any public comment.
The directive, reportedly issued on Friday and Saturday, has already fueled speculation.
On social media, public opinion has been buzzing with rumours, with many questioning whether the move signals larger political shifts.
When asked, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan told reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday that removing the President’s portrait from foreign missions would have no impact on the upcoming election scheduled for February.
With this order, Bangladeshi chancery complexes, ambassadors’ residences, and meeting rooms abroad will now display no image of either the President or the head of government, just as is the case in ministries and government offices within the country.
