Qatar-bound migrant workers urge govt to take steps for their return

Some 30 Qatar-bound migrant workers -- who remain stranded at home amid the coronavirus pandemic -- today urged the government to take steps for their return to workplaces, saying their re-entry has been denied by the Gulf country.

Forming a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital, they said about 12,500 Qatar-based migrant workers including them who had been employed in different private companies are currently stranded at home since the pandemic forced global air communication suspension early this year.

Some have been stranded for about a year now without any income. As a result, the workers said, they have been facing acute financial hardship.

They called upon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen to take diplomatic effort to ensure their return to the Gulf country soon.

One of the migrant workers, Sarwar Alam Khokon, said they have been passing days in uncertainty and that despite facing financial hardship they couldn't ask for help because of their social position.