BNP lawmaker Quamruzzaman Ratan has apologised for his remarks about the bodies of two Bangladeshi nationals executed in Saudi Arabia, saying his comments during a televised discussion were wrong and that he fully withdraws them.

In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Monday, the lawmaker representing Munshiganj-3 said he had made the comments emotionally while discussing the incident from what he described as a narrow religious perspective.

“Recently, during a talk show on Star News, while discussing the tragic incident of two Bangladeshi nationals being beheaded in Saudi Arabia from a narrowly religious perspective, I said emotionally, ‘I do not want the bodies of this sin to be brought to Bangladesh.’ It was absolutely wrong of me to make this comment, and I fully withdraw it,” he said.

Ratan, who is also the BNP's central social welfare secretary and a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs, apologised to the families and relatives of the deceased, as well as to Bangladeshi expatriates, for the hurt caused by his remarks.

He also asked for forgiveness, saying that recognising one's mistakes and having the opportunity to seek forgiveness was a special blessing from Almighty Allah.

His apology follows public criticism of the remarks he made during a talk show on Star News on October 18.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has sought detailed information from Saudi Arabia about the execution of the two nationals.

On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Dr Md Nazrul Islam raised the issue during a meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Abdullah Zafer bin Abiyah.

Bangladesh expressed confidence that the incident would not affect the strong bilateral relations between the two countries. The meeting also discussed the importance of respecting the laws of the host country, while both sides expressed satisfaction with the steady progress of cooperation across various sectors.

On Saturday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said the government had yet to receive detailed official information from Saudi authorities about the execution of a Bangladeshi man and a woman.

“We have yet to receive any official detailed information from the Saudi government,” she told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that Dhaka had sent a letter seeking details.

Saudi media earlier reported that the two Bangladeshis had been executed after being convicted of committing “indecent acts” inside a mosque in Mecca.

Quoting the Saudi Interior Ministry, Gulf News reported that the sentences were imposed because of the seriousness of the offence, the violation of the mosque's sanctity and the circumstances in which the acts were committed.

Saudi authorities identified the two nationals as Nazrul Islam Abdul Basir and Siti Akhtar.

Shama said Bangladesh learned on October 14 that the two nationals had been sentenced to death under Saudi law and that the executions had already been carried out. Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Bangladesh mission in Saudi Arabia had been informed in advance, she said.

Following the executions, the Bangladesh mission informed the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment about the information it had gathered from Saudi authorities.

Shama said the government had formally sought details about the identities and backgrounds of the two individuals in Bangladesh and when they had originally arrived in Saudi Arabia for work.

She added that arrangements for repatriating the bodies could be made after Bangladesh receives a response to its letter.