Tulip still a Bangladeshi voter, holds NID
A British labour MP and niece of deposed Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq still holds a Bangladesh national identity card despite claiming repeatedly that she is only a British citizen. An investigation by Prothom Alo and British daily, The Times, also reveals that she is a registered voter in Bangladesh, and was issued a Bangladeshi passport.
Prothom Alo collaborated with The Times on the documents related to Tulip's Bangladeshi citizenship, verifying their authenticity with the relevant government offices in Bangladesh.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The documents show that Tulip obtained her NID in 2011. She used the address of her aunt, Bangladesh's deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's residence, Sudha Sadan on road 5 in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
Her NID states her profession as "private job" and her birthplace as Dhaka. The NID also carries a tag, "migrated" or "immigrant." The NID server under the EC also contains the number of her Bangladeshi passport.
On August 12, a spokesperson of Tulip's legal advisory firm, Stephenson Harwood, told the Financial Times, "Tulip has never obtained a Bangladeshi national identity card or voter ID and has not held a Bangladeshi passport since childhood."
Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime was overthrown in a mass uprising on August 5 of 2024. In February this year, the EC "locked" the NIDs of ten family members of Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Rehana, including that of Tulip's.
First Bangladeshi passport obtained at 19
According to the information from the Bangladesh Passport Office, a Bangladeshi passport was issued in Tulip's name in September 2001, when she was 19 years old. The passport was issued by the Bangladesh High Commission in London.
After the expiration of that passport, Tulip applied for her next passport in 2011 at the Agargaon Passport Office in Dhaka. Subsequently, her second passport was issued.
According to the passport office database, her nationality is listed as Bangladeshi, and her place of birth is London.
Tulip's passport mentions Major General (Retd.) Tariq Ahmed Siddiq as her emergency contact section. He is Tulip's uncle and a former defense adviser to Sheikh Hasina.
When Tulip's second passport was issued in 2011, her aunt Sheikh Hasina was the prime minister of Bangladesh. This passport expired on January 2, 2016.
No evidence of renunciation of citizenship
In Bangladesh, anyone who holds a passport and a national identity card is considered a Bangladeshi citizen. Although Tulip was born in the UK, both of her parents were born in Bangladesh. Therefore, she can hold both British and Bangladeshi citizenship, as both countries allow dual nationality, the report said.
In some countries, including the United States, one must renounce their original citizenship before taking the oath to become a citizen. However, in the UK, taking the oath does not require renouncing one's previous citizenship. According to Bangladeshi law, a person remains a citizen of Bangladesh until they formally renounce their allegiance to the country. Anyone wishing to give up Bangladeshi citizenship must apply to the home minsitry.
Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik told Prothom Alo that, under the agreement between the UK and Bangladesh, any individual may hold citizenship in both countries. Legally, there is no issue with this. "However, since she is denying this, it appears that Tulip Siddiq has relied on a false claim."
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