Bangladeshis in Nepal Safe, Return Expected Soon: Officials

Bangladeshis, including members of the national football team, stranded in Nepal are safe, officials in Dhaka and the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu confirmed.

They will begin returning home once flight operations on the Dhaka–Kathmandu route resume normal schedules, the officials said.

Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) reopened at 6 pm on Wednesday, hours after being shut down due to violent anti-government protests. The airport authority advised passengers to contact their respective airlines to re-confirm flights.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Wednesday that Bangladeshi nationals cannot be brought back through India as they do not have Indian visas.

He added that protesters in Kathmandu showed respect when they encountered the Bangladesh football team at a hotel. “They have no bad feelings towards us. So, I don’t think there will be any crisis. Our embassy is in constant contact with them. We hope everyone will be able to return safely,” he said.

Bangladesh, as a longstanding friend and neighbour of Nepal, expressed confidence in the resilience of the Nepali people to restore peace and stability.

“Bangladesh hopes all sides will exercise maximum restraint and engage in peaceful, constructive dialogue to resolve differences,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The government is closely monitoring the situation and has expressed condolences over the loss of lives, extending sympathies to affected families and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Meanwhile, all Bangladeshi nationals in Nepal have been strongly advised to remain indoors at their hotels or residences. The Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu issued an urgent notice on Tuesday urging inbound passengers not to travel to Nepal until the security situation improves.

Currently, a 36-member national football team and a 51-member delegation from the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC), Mirpur, remain stranded in Kathmandu. Their programmes have been suspended, with their return flight to Dhaka scheduled for 12 September, according to Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.

The embassy is in close contact with both groups through their local coordinator, while the delegation continues daily assessments of the situation.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines passengers seeking updates on the Kathmandu–Dhaka route have been asked to contact its Kathmandu office through the following numbers:

Country Manager: +9779851037510

Station Manager: +9779851026159

Sales: +9779847918402