Staff Reporter :
The cabinet on Monday gave its final approval to the draft of “The Citizenship Law 2016” paving the way of dual citizenship for the expatriate Bangladeshis.
The approval came at a regular cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister Office (PMO) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
The proposed law has been framed by amalgamating the existing “The Citizenship Act 1951″ and ‘The Bangladesh Citizenship Temporary Provisions Order 1972’,” Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam told reporters at a briefing after the cabinet meeting.
He said the proposed law addressed several “back dated issues” and “incompleteness” of the two existing laws limiting the provisions of dual citizenship.
Alam said the draft law has six chapters and 28 sections, which highlighted the process for gaining citizenship, disqualification of getting citizenship, surrender and dissolution of citizenship. He said the law incorporated and expanded the scope for getting dual citizenship by the expatriate Bangladeshi nationals since the expatriate Bangladeshis staying in the USA and UK earlier enjoyed such facility.
The cabinet secretary said the expatriate Bangladeshis staying in all the countries having diplomatic ties with Bangladesh would be eligible for the dual citizenship.
He said that Bangladeshi born people living in countries which were not recognized by Bangladesh or declared “banned” through Bangladesh government’s gazette notification would not come under the purview of the proposed law.
The draft law also kept a provision of providing and reinstating the citizenship of Bangladesh to the foreign nationals, but those nationals would not be qualified to contest any parliamentary or local government polls and election for presidency, from any political party, he said.
They would also be disqualified to be Supreme Court judges or get appointment in any post of the republic.
Alam said that any foreign national could be given honorary Bangladeshi citizenship for his or her special qualifications in social, science, literature, world peace, human development and cultural sector or making important contributions towards Bangladesh’s development.
In case of getting Bangladeshi citizenship for matrimonial relations, he said, any foreign national will have to stay in Bangladesh for at least five years from the existing provision of four years. Subject to the fulfillment of such a condition, any foreign national would get Bangladeshi citizenship through matrimonial relations. The cabinet secretary said that except dual citizenship, if anyone shows allegiance directly or indirectly to other countries, joins any force of any country, participate in any war against Bangladesh and the illegal migrants living in Bangladesh would not get Bangladeshi citizenship.
Alam explained that any Bangladeshi citizen can surrender his or her citizenship applying to the government of Bangladesh following the procedure specified in the draft law.
However, the government could reinstate the citizenship of the nationals after reviewing the applications of those who had earlier renounced their Bangladeshi citizenships.
The cabinet secretary said that the law also kept provision of punishment of up to Tk 1.0 lakh fine or five years imprisonment or both for persons taking citizenship by giving false and distorted information and keeping true facts hidden.
He, however, said the cabinet could raise further the amount in line with consultation with the law minister and other concerned in this regard.
