Bangladesh's anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Tuesday, 25 August declared the appointment of dual citizen Humaiun Kobir as State Minister for Foreign Affairs under the technocrat quota 'unconstitutional', according to local media reports. TIB also condemned the minister's refusal to directly address questions about his citizenship status, calling his conduct a threat to press freedom.

The Constitutional Question at Issue

At the heart of the controversy is whether Kobir held foreign citizenship at the time he assumed office — a condition that, critics argue, would bar him from the post under Bangladesh's constitutional provisions. TIB pointed to multiple media reports indicating that the state minister reportedly holds foreign citizenship and has also been involved in active politics in the country of that citizenship.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman, quoted by leading Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, said: 'The fundamental question is whether he retained his foreign citizenship when he assumed office as state minister. He has an obligation to directly address such a clear constitutional question involving the public interest.'

TIB's Criticism of the Minister's Response

Rather than clarifying his status, Kobir reportedly responded to journalists' questions with counter-questions — a tactic TIB condemned as evasive and unbecoming of a senior state official. Iftekharuzzaman said the minister's conduct was 'ethically unacceptable and deeply concerning.'

'When someone in a responsible state position is questioned about a matter of public interest, it is expected that he will give a straightforward, factual answer. By answering the relevant constitutional and legal questions and disclosing the necessary evidence, the state minister for foreign affairs could instead have set an example of transparency and accountability,' Iftekharuzzaman said, as quoted by Dhaka Tribune.

He added: 'Rather than doing so, his resentful and aggressive counter-questions directed at media outlets reporting on his dual citizenship and journalists raising questions about the matter are unbecoming of the dignity and responsibility of a State Minister; they are ethically unacceptable and deeply concerning.'

Threat to Press Freedom and Journalists

TIB warned that the minister's aggressive posture towards the media could have a broader chilling effect on journalism in Bangladesh. Iftekharuzzaman noted that such responses place 'unreasonable and unwarranted pressure on the journalists concerned' and could create a tendency to make it risky for reporters to ask uncomfortable questions of those in power.

'Ultimately, it undermines the people's right to know,' he said, adding that the conduct ran 'contrary to free media, freedom of expression, and independent journalism.'

TIB's Demands from the Government

TIB urged the Bangladesh government to immediately disclose 'accurate and verifiable information' regarding Kobir's actual citizenship status and to take an appropriate decision on the constitutional validity of his appointment. The watchdog also called on the government to publicly disclose citizenship details of any other minister or state minister if similar questions arise, in the interest of transparency and constitutional accountability.

Iftekharuzzaman described the matter as 'embarrassing for the government' and warned of potential 'avoidable reputational embarrassment' for Bangladesh given the global implications of the Foreign Affairs portfolio. With TIB's public intervention now on record, pressure on the government to respond with documentary evidence is likely to mount in the days ahead.