The High Court has directed the Election Commission (EC) to submit a report within four weeks on whether MA Wahed, an independent MP elected from Mymensingh-11 in the 12th parliamentary election, is a citizen of Papua New Guinea or not.
The HC bench of Justice Md Iqbal Kabir and Justice SM Moniruzzaman passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Kazim Uddin Ahmed.
Barrister Tanjib Ul Alam stood for the petitioner.
Boat candidate Kazim Uddin Ahmed said: “There was an allegation against MA Wahed that he is not a citizen of Bangladesh but of Papua New Guinea. The independent candidate's election and the gazette notification are all illegal. According to the constitution, he was not even eligible to contest the election.”
He also said: “According to the Bangladesh Citizenship Act, if someone accepts citizenship of any country other than the selected (elected) few, their Bangladeshi citizenship is immediately revoked. Papua New Guinea is not on the list of countries where dual citizenship is valid. This means that as soon as he becomes a citizen of Papua New Guinea, he will no longer be considered a Bangladeshi citizen. He (the independent candidate) has not reapplied for Bangladeshi citizenship.”
Previously, in the election held on January 7, the independent candidate MA Wahed won the Mymensingh-11 (Bhaluka) constituency with 95,280 votes for the Truck symbol at 105 centres.
His nearest rival, the current MP Kazim Uddin Ahmed, with the Boat symbol, received 56,420 votes.