India will discontinue issuing the special India-Bangladesh Passport (IBP) from November 15. IBP was introduced as a special travel document on August 1972 to facilitate travel between the two countries. Bangladesh also used to issue IBPs to its citizens but stopped long ago because of the decline in its demand over the years. The decision to discontinue IBP issuance is an outcome of the deal of revised travel arrangements between India and Bangladesh, which was signed on January 28, 2013, official sources said.
According to media reports in India, no new application for IBP will be accepted by any of the state governments, who were earlier delegated with the power to do so.
The Ministry of External Affairs of India said all applications received on or before November 15 should be processed and issued expeditiously.
However, IBPs already issued would remain valid till the expiry of their duration.
With The Daily Star input
