Muhammad Zubair Aslam, the Vice President (VP) of Levi Strauss & Co, was allegedly denied entry into Bangladesh recently owing to some reported visa-related issues.
According to media reports, Zubair is the VP of the renowned fashion retailer for South Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan, lndia and Sri Lanka) and East Africa and was, reportedly, on a business trip on a Pakistani passport.
Reports further added, Zubair, who arrived recently at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport via a Thai Airways flight on multiple entry visa, was, reportedly, denied entry into the country by the immigration on grounds that his visa was cancelled while his passport was shown in the block list.
However, Zubair had no clue as to why his visa was cancelled or his passport blocked even as he, reportedly, claimed he was also not informed of the matter by the Bangladesh High Commission in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh liaison office of Levi had, reportedly, written to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) ‘condemning the visa cancellation without any notification’.
Reacting to development, BGMEA Acting President Md Shahidullah Azim, on his part, reportedly, underlined it was a very unfortunate incident while, reportedly, adding the Foreign Ministry should handle the issues carefully so that brands and buyers did not get negative message about the business situation in Bangladesh.
