Labour counsellor at Geneva mission removed over harassment of Advisor Asif Nazrul

The government has ordered the removal of Mohammed Kamrul Islam, a counsellor at the Labour Wing of the Bangladesh Mission in Switzerland, following an incident where Law Advisor Asif Nazrul was harassed at the Geneva airport.

A locally hired staff member at the mission has also been dismissed, foreign ministry spokesperson Toufique Hasan revealed during the ministry’s weekly briefing on Thursday.

“Action has been taken. The counsellor at the Labour Wing [Kamrul] has been stand released, and a local staff member has been dismissed.”

Toufique described the incident in Switzerland as “unfortunate and unexpected”, noting that immediate steps were taken against those involved.

Asif was returning to Bangladesh on Nov 7 after meetings with the International Labour Organization in Geneva. According to embassy protocol, he was driven to the airport. However, as he exited the vehicle, he was suddenly surrounded and harassed by a group of people.

During the incident, Counsellor Kamrul Islam and local staff member Mizan from the Geneva Mission were present but remained silent.

Kamrul, an officer from the 29th BCS Administration Cadre, joined the Labour Wing in Geneva in 2021. Prior to that, he served as the personal aide to the secretary of expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment.

The incident has sparked concerns about the security arrangements for high-ranking government officials abroad, especially after details of Asif’s schedule were made public.

The spokesperson added that the foreign ministry has issued new directives to all missions, emphasising “maximum caution in handling protocol and security matters” to prevent similar incidents in the future.