Muhith: Owners of dual citizenship cannot hold constitutional posts

“If anyone files cases against those who own passports of two countries and are holding parliamentary posts, they will be out of office immediately,” Muhith told a delegation of visiting expatriates yesterday. The expatriates from European countries and Australia, who had come to Bangladesh to take part in the Awami League’s national council, had gone to meet Muhith at the Finance Ministry auditorium. They complained to Muhith against a bill tabled in the cabinet that bars people with dual citizenship from holding any constitutional posts. Muhith told them that Bangladesh’s constitution did not allow anyone with dual citizenship to become a lawmaker in parliament. UK Awami League’s President Sultan Mohammad Sharif, Vice-President MA Rohim, and General Secretary M Saidur Rahman Faruk were among the delegation meeting Muhith. The minister said: “Expaptriates can have the national ID card and they can cast votes, but they cannot hold any constitutional posts. It is a punishable offence.” When the expatriates told him a number of people with dual citizenship have become MPs in the past and even at present, Muhith said: “Give me their names. Who are they? There was one – Abu Sayeed’s son – but he resigned from his post.” UK Awami League’s Vice-President MA Rohim said: “We know Mosaddekur Rahman Chowdhury, Abdus Samad Chowdhury Kayes, former BNP education minister Ehsanul Hoque Milan, Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam hold British passports. Jaitya Party Whip in parliament Selim Uddin Selim was born overseas. “There are still many people in the current parliament who hold dual citizenship.” Former permanent representative of Bangladesh at the UN, Dr AK Abdul Momen, who was present during the meeting, said: “People with dual citizenship cannot be members of any political party under provision 7(2) of Bangladesh’s constitution. He/she cannot be a judge, the country’s president and a lawmaker.” He pointed out that lying about one’s citizenship is a punishable offence. The cabinet recently gave its consent to a dual citizenship bill based on the constitutional provisions of 5(2), 7(2) and its extension 13.