Moshiur Rahman Ranga, a Member of Parliament from the Jatiya Party and former Secretary General, expressed his discontent over reports that his US visa had been revoked. In an interview with a local media outlet on September 25th, he disclosed his lack of satisfaction with this development. Ranga highlighted that he held a ten-year US visa but had not visited the United States in the past five years. He clarified that he currently had no intention or opportunity to travel to the US due to the impending elections.
Regarding the US visa policy, Ranga acknowledged that he had been informed about the imposition of a visa ban, which he considered a routine occurrence in the United States. He emphasized that if a country believed that certain individuals posed a threat to its interests, it had the right to deny them entry, and he viewed this as a beneficial measure for the United States. He further expressed confidence that this visa issue would not have any bearing on the upcoming elections.
On September 22nd, the US State Department issued a statement announcing restrictions placed on Bangladesh. According to the statement, the United States was taking measures to enforce US visa restrictions on Bangladeshi individuals who were involved in hindering or participating in activities that undermined the democratic electoral process. This category encompassed both current and former Bangladeshi officials, law enforcement personnel, members of the judiciary, security forces, as well as members affiliated with both the ruling and opposition political parties, spanning individuals from law enforcement, the ruling party, and opposition parties alike.
