{"id":36431,"date":"2026-08-25T14:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T14:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebangladeshtoday.com\/?p=36431"},"modified":"2026-08-25T14:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T14:33:12","slug":"foreign-citizen-controversy-or-a-calculated-narrative-to-undermine-merit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebangladeshtoday.com\/?p=36431","title":{"rendered":"\u201c\u2018Foreign Citizen\u2019 Controversy: Or a Calculated Narrative to Undermine Merit?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recent controversy branding the newly appointed State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Humayun Kabir, as a \u201cforeign citizen\u201d is not merely an attack on an individual; rather, it appears to be a broader attempt to question the country\u2019s diplomatic progress. At the outset, one thing must be made clear\u2014labeling someone as a \u201cforeign citizen\u201d to create controversy may be easy, but such simplistic arguments have little relevance in the complex realities of state governance and diplomacy.<br><strong>International Reality and Context<br><\/strong>Today\u2019s world is fully globalized. In countries like Pakistan, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, individuals with dual citizenship or long-term international exposure are serving in key government positions. This is not an exception, but a normal feature of modern governance. From this perspective, questioning Mr. Humayun Kabir\u2014who is a Bangladeshi citizen by birth\u2014by attaching a \u201cforeign\u201d label does not align with global realities; rather, it reflects a politically motivated narrative.<br><strong>The Legal Question is Fundamental<br><\/strong>The most important issue here is\u2014what does the law of Bangladesh say? If, under the Constitution and applicable legal framework, he is fully eligible for this position, then his appointment is unquestionably legitimate. Attempts to conduct media trials or mislead public opinion beyond the boundaries of law are neither appropriate nor acceptable. In a democratic system, the decisions of an elected government, made within the legal framework, remain the ultimate standard\u2014not individual or politically driven opinions.<br><strong>Competence Over Labels<br><\/strong>For a State Minister for Foreign Affairs, the most critical factors are international experience, diplomatic skill, and global connectivity. Judging someone solely based on a label is both unreasonable and counterproductive. Rather, the individual who can effectively represent the country on the global stage is the most suitable for the role. Mr. Humayun Kabir\u2019s experience and capabilities establish him as a strong and qualified candidate for this position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Global Exposure as a Strength<br><\/strong>Modern diplomacy no longer depends solely on local experience. Diplomats from countries like France, Germany, China, Pakistan, and India have long served abroad while successfully safeguarding their national interests. In this context, growing up or working abroad is not a weakness\u2014it is a significant strength. Mr. Humayun Kabir\u2019s international experience should be viewed as an added advantage for Bangladesh.<br><strong>National Interest is the Ultimate<br><\/strong>Ultimately, the key question is\u2014can he protect Bangladesh\u2019s interests? Can he strengthen international relations? If the answers are positive, then debates over his citizenship become irrelevant. In governance, emotions or labels do not matter\u2014performance and outcomes do.<br><strong>Political Narrative vs Reality<br><\/strong>The reality is that the \u201cforeign citizen\u201d issue is being used by certain quarters to construct a political narrative. However, the real question for the people should be\u2014do they want an inefficient individual simply because he is \u201clocal,\u201d or a competent, globally experienced representative who can strongly position Bangladesh on the world stage?<br>Simply put\u2014<br>Anyone who can safeguard national interests is truly qualified.<br>Labels like \u2018foreign\u2019 may serve politics, but they cannot run a state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Writer -<br>Sardar M. Jahangir Hossain<br>Former Assistant Secretary, International Affairs (China)<br>Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, Central Executive Committee.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent controversy branding the newly appointed State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Humayun Kabir, as a \u201cforeign citizen\u201d is not merely an attack on an individual; rather, it appears to be a broader attempt to question the country\u2019s diplomatic progress. At the outset, one thing must be made clear\u2014labeling someone as a \u201cforeign citizen\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":36432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bangladesh","category-nationwide"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u201c\u2018Foreign Citizen\u2019 Controversy: Or a Calculated Narrative to Undermine Merit?\u201d - The Bangladesh Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thebangladeshtoday.com\/?p=36431\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201c\u2018Foreign Citizen\u2019 Controversy: Or a Calculated Narrative to Undermine Merit?\u201d - The Bangladesh Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The recent controversy branding the newly appointed State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Humayun Kabir, as a \u201cforeign citizen\u201d is not merely an attack on an individual; rather, it appears to be a broader attempt to question the country\u2019s diplomatic progress. 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