Amid claim and counter-claim of the government and the BNP over whether Tarique Rahman gave up his citizenship, the latter yesterday said he submitted his passport to the Home Office of the United Kingdom for seeking asylum.

BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman submitted his passport to the United Kingdom for seeking asylum, the party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir says.

BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday served a legal notice on State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, seeking proof within the next 10 days about the allegation that Tarique had given up his Bangladeshi citizenship by “surrendering passport”.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam says BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman along with his wife and daughter handed over their passports to the British Home Office four years ago which indicates that they do not want Bangladesh nationality.