State Minister Humaiun Kobir draws growing public interest
A growing controversy over the alleged dual citizenship of Foreign Affairs State Minister Humaiun Kobir has become a major topic of public discussion, with Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) questioning the constitutional validity of his appointment.
TIB said Tuesday that Kobir’s appointment as a state minister under the technocrat quota could be unconstitutional if he continues to hold foreign citizenship.
The organization also questioned his decision to assume office without publicly clarifying his citizenship status.
According to TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Kobir’s foreign citizenship and alleged involvement in the active politics of the concerned country have been reported by several reliable sources.
Referring to Article 56(2) of the Constitution, Iftekharuzzaman said that a person who is not a member of Parliament can be appointed as a minister or state minister only if they are otherwise qualified to be elected to Parliament.
He further referred to Article 66(2)(c), which disqualifies a person from being elected to Parliament if they acquire the citizenship of a foreign state or acknowledge allegiance to a foreign state.
TIB also pointed to Article 66(2A), which addresses the issue of foreign citizenship in cases involving dual nationality.
“Therefore, his appointment as a technocrat state minister while retaining dual citizenship is in conflict with the Constitution,” Iftekharuzzaman said, according to the TIB statement.
TIB also criticized Kobir’s response when journalists questioned him about his British citizenship on Monday.
Asked whether he had renounced his British citizenship, the state minister reportedly responded by asking who had published the news and “who was so bothered” about the issue.
TIB described the response as an example of the “shoot the messenger” mentality associated with the previous authoritarian period.
The organization said the identity of the journalist or media outlet that raised the issue was not the central concern.
“The main question is whether his foreign citizenship remained valid when he assumed office as state minister,” TIB said, emphasizing that Kobir has a responsibility to provide a direct answer to a matter involving the Constitution and the public interest.
The organisation also warned that dismissing questions from the media could undermine press freedom and the public’s right to information. It urged Kobir to make his position on dual citizenship clear in the interest of transparency and accountability.
However, Law Minister Asaduzzaman presented a different position on Tuesday. Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat, he said Kobir had taken the oath in accordance with the Constitution and that the government had acted constitutionally in appointing him.
“The first thing is that the law is what it is. Secondly, what this government has done has been done in accordance with the Constitution. There has been no deviation,” the law minister said.
The conflicting positions have intensified the debate surrounding Kobir’s appointment. While the law minister maintains that the appointment and oath-taking were constitutional, TIB is calling for a clear explanation of the state minister’s citizenship status and its compatibility with the constitutional requirements for holding office.
The controversy now centers on a straightforward but significant question: Did Humaiun Kobir retain his foreign citizenship when he assumed office as foreign affairs state minister, and if so, does that status affect his constitutional eligibility for the position?
TIB has called for the issue to be settled through transparency and disclosure rather than political rhetoric.
It has also urged the government to publicly clarify the citizenship status of any other minister, state minister or senior official facing similar questions.
