Verbal Orders Replace Written Directives: President’s Photos Removed from Foreign Missions

Without any formal letter or email, instructions were reportedly delivered over the telephone through several ambassadors and high commissioners, directing all Bangladeshi diplomatic missions, consulates, and the offices and residences of diplomats abroad to remove portraits of President Md. Shahabuddin.

According to sources, these verbal orders were conveyed around midnight from Segunbagicha to mission heads in Washington, Delhi, Beijing, Riyadh, and other Bangladeshi diplomatic outposts worldwide.

It is learned that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked several ambassadors/high commissioners to pass on the instruction to other missions. However, DigiBanglaTech.news has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of this directive through official channels.

Several domestic media outlets reported, citing sources in missions in South Asia, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Europe, that the instruction was issued on Friday, August 15. However, by the morning of August 17, it could not be confirmed whether all missions had complied, since many had not yet received such directives formally.

At least two mission heads confirmed to the media that they had received the message from the government. One diplomat stationed abroad said, “On Friday, after another mission head from a different country informed us of the matter, we removed the portrait.” Another noted, “Many mission-level decisions are issued over the phone rather than by email or in writing. Similarly, the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was also removed through verbal instruction, although displaying the portrait is a constitutional requirement.” It has also been reported that some missions removed the portraits in advance, mirroring practices followed at headquarters in Dhaka.

The move is believed to be linked to the circumstances following the student–public uprising, where the Awami League—branded as ‘fascist’ by the movement—was ousted from power. With the party’s activities temporarily banned and the president nominated from its ranks, sources suggest this might have prompted the decision.

As of yet, it has not been disclosed who specifically issued the instruction or to whom.

Foreign ministry sources confirmed that since August 5, over 50 portraits of the president have been removed from Bangladeshi missions and embassies abroad.