Questions have emerged over whether Humayun Kabir, who was sworn in as Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs (technocrat) last Friday, has formally renounced his British citizenship.
Kabir previously served as the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser with the rank of a state minister. His long association with the United Kingdom, including his education, professional career and involvement in British Labour Party politics, has prompted renewed scrutiny of his citizenship status following his appointment to the government.
Born in Sylhet, Kabir moved to the United Kingdom with his family when he was only two and a half years old. He grew up there and pursued higher education before entering professional and political life. At some point during his years in Britain, he acquired British citizenship.
According to sources at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kabir surrendered his ordinary green passport on 23 February this year, shortly after assuming the position of Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser on 17 February. He received an official or diplomatic red passport during the same month.
He first used the red passport for an official visit to Saudi Arabia. Over the following six months, he travelled abroad at least 11 times on the government-issued passport, visiting countries including the United States, China, Russia, Türkiye, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Mauritius and the Philippines.
The possession of a diplomatic passport, however, does not by itself establish whether an individual has renounced foreign citizenship. A passport is a travel document, while citizenship is a separate legal status governed by the relevant nationality laws and administrative procedures.
Several Bangladesh Nationalist Party leaders in the United Kingdom have confirmed that Kabir is a British citizen. They could not, however, say whether he had formally renounced his British citizenship before becoming a state minister.
Government sources in Bangladesh have also said they have no information indicating that Kabir submitted an application or letter seeking to renounce his British nationality.
Attempts were made on Saturday to obtain a direct response from Kabir. He was contacted by telephone several times but could not be reached. The public relations wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also approached for clarification, but no response was received.
Kabir’s background in Britain is extensive. He was born in Habaspur village in Osmaninagar upazila of Sylhet. According to a source familiar with his educational background, he obtained an undergraduate degree in international relations from the University of Sussex. He later completed three separate postgraduate degrees at the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Cambridge and Leeds Law School.
His professional career also included senior responsibilities in Britain. He worked at the Mayor of London’s office and held important positions at higher levels of the British government, according to the information provided.
Kabir’s political career began in Britain through the Labour Party. Ahid Ahmad Chowdhury, a former deputy mayor of Tower Hamlets Council, told Prothom Alo that Kabir served as secretary of the Labour Party’s Bethnal Green and Bow branch from 2006 to 2009.
He later became involved in Bangladesh’s political arena and developed a prominent role in the BNP’s international affairs. On 22 October 2025, he was appointed the BNP’s Joint Secretary General in charge of international affairs.
The question surrounding his British citizenship is significant because formal renunciation of citizenship is a distinct legal process and cannot simply be inferred from the surrender of an ordinary Bangladeshi passport or the issuance of a diplomatic one.
For now, there is no publicly confirmed information establishing that Kabir has renounced his British citizenship. At the same time, the available information does not conclusively establish that he continues to hold it. A definitive answer would require an official declaration or documentary confirmation from Kabir or the relevant authorities.
