Scope for dual citizenship to be widened
Cabinet clears citizenship bill restricting dual citizenship for govt officials, constitutional office holders
February 2, 2016
The cabinet on Monday approved a draft bill seeking enactment of a law widening the scope for dual citizenship, but restricting citizenship by birth for those whose parents were not Bangladeshi citizens.
The bill says that a Bangladesh citizen can also be a citizen of any other country having diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, except that of another ‘SAARC country’ or Myanmar, as long as the citizen has not renounced his loyalty to Bangladesh while taking an oath of the citizenship of the other country.
But the government officials and all those holding constitutional offices would not be allowed to enjoy the dual citizenship, said officials.
The home ministry placed the draft Bangladesh Citizenship Bill 2016 at the weekly cabinet meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her Tejgaon office.
‘The cabinet has given approval to the draft citizenship bill with some observations…This is just an updated version of the Citizenship Act 1951 and the Bangladesh Citizenship (Temporary Provisions) Order 1972, incorporating some minor changes,’ home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told New Age.
He said that those who fought against the independence of Bangladesh or took stand against the country would not be eligible for Bangladesh citizenship since such provision was already there in the 1972 order.
The government initiated the move to enact a new law as both the 1951 act and 1972 order were incomplete, cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said at a briefing after the meeting.
He said that the proposed law would expand the scope for getting dual citizenship by the Bangladesh nationals as the Bangladeshi expatriates staying in the United States and Britain had long been enjoying such facility as per the existing laws.
The bill would empower the government to terminate the citizenship of a person given by virtue of the registration or naturalisation if the person does any act that show disobedience to Bangladesh’s sovereignty or its constitution without setting out who would decide what amounts to disobedience.
About citizenship by birth, the existing law allows a person born in Bangladesh to become a citizen of the country except if his or her father is an ‘enemy alien’ and the birth occurs in a place which was then under occupation by the enemy.
The bill, however, proposes that a person born in Bangladesh can only gain Bangladeshi citizenship by birth if both parents are Bangladeshi nationals.
The government may have made this change to prevent children born to Rohingya parents living legally or illegally in Bangladesh from gaining citizenship, officials said.
If the bill is passed by parliament, it will repeal the 1951 act and the 1972 order.
It proposes provision allowing an ‘adult and able citizen’ of Bangladesh to renounce his/her citizenship.
It also proposes to increase punishment to five years in jail and a fine of Tk 5 lakh for furnishing false or distorted information. The punishment would double if an offender repeats the same offence, the bill said.
The existing law refers to Section 177 of the Penal Code that stipulates a maximum punishment of six months in jail and a fine of Tk 1,000.
The proposed law has six chapters and 28 sections that highlight the process for gaining citizenship, disqualification for citizenship, surrender and dissolution of citizenship and penalty for crimes committed under it.
Cabinet clears citizenship bill restricting dual citizenship for govt officials, constitutional office holders
February 2, 2016
The cabinet on Monday approved a draft bill seeking enactment of a law widening the scope for dual citizenship, but restricting citizenship by birth for those whose parents were not Bangladeshi citizens.
The bill says that a Bangladesh citizen can also be a citizen of any other country having diplomatic relations with Bangladesh, except that of another ‘SAARC country’ or Myanmar, as long as the citizen has not renounced his loyalty to Bangladesh while taking an oath of the citizenship of the other country.
But the government officials and all those holding constitutional offices would not be allowed to enjoy the dual citizenship, said officials.
The home ministry placed the draft Bangladesh Citizenship Bill 2016 at the weekly cabinet meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her Tejgaon office.
‘The cabinet has given approval to the draft citizenship bill with some observations…This is just an updated version of the Citizenship Act 1951 and the Bangladesh Citizenship (Temporary Provisions) Order 1972, incorporating some minor changes,’ home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told New Age.
He said that those who fought against the independence of Bangladesh or took stand against the country would not be eligible for Bangladesh citizenship since such provision was already there in the 1972 order.
The government initiated the move to enact a new law as both the 1951 act and 1972 order were incomplete, cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said at a briefing after the meeting.
He said that the proposed law would expand the scope for getting dual citizenship by the Bangladesh nationals as the Bangladeshi expatriates staying in the United States and Britain had long been enjoying such facility as per the existing laws.
The bill would empower the government to terminate the citizenship of a person given by virtue of the registration or naturalisation if the person does any act that show disobedience to Bangladesh’s sovereignty or its constitution without setting out who would decide what amounts to disobedience.
About citizenship by birth, the existing law allows a person born in Bangladesh to become a citizen of the country except if his or her father is an ‘enemy alien’ and the birth occurs in a place which was then under occupation by the enemy.
The bill, however, proposes that a person born in Bangladesh can only gain Bangladeshi citizenship by birth if both parents are Bangladeshi nationals.
The government may have made this change to prevent children born to Rohingya parents living legally or illegally in Bangladesh from gaining citizenship, officials said.
If the bill is passed by parliament, it will repeal the 1951 act and the 1972 order.
It proposes provision allowing an ‘adult and able citizen’ of Bangladesh to renounce his/her citizenship.
It also proposes to increase punishment to five years in jail and a fine of Tk 5 lakh for furnishing false or distorted information. The punishment would double if an offender repeats the same offence, the bill said.
The existing law refers to Section 177 of the Penal Code that stipulates a maximum punishment of six months in jail and a fine of Tk 1,000.
The proposed law has six chapters and 28 sections that highlight the process for gaining citizenship, disqualification for citizenship, surrender and dissolution of citizenship and penalty for crimes committed under it.
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