Rights body condemns parliamentary committee for summoning Prof Tasneem Siddiqi

The Committee for the Protection of Fundamental Rights on Sunday condemned a parliamentary committee for summoning DU Professor Tasneem Siddiqi over her newspaper interview on remittance flow and expatriates.

In a press release signed by Dr Shahdeen Malik, a member of Moulik Odhikar Shurokkha Committee (MOSC), the committee said that they were "surprised and shocked when she was called before the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of Finance to explain the interview."

"The main responsibility of the Parliamentary Standing Committee is to ensure transparency and accountability by overseeing various functions of the government," the body said in a statement.

"Professor Tasnim Siddiqi of Dhaka University has done numerous researches on immigrant and expatriate issues for many years and has published a large number of her articles and research books at home and abroad. At different times, different governments have used the knowledge, analysis and opinions gained by research on immigrants and expatriates. In this context, her interview titled "Remittance flow and expatriates do not match in reality" was published in the daily Prothom Alo on 8 February. We were surprised and shocked when she was called before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Finance to explain the interview," the press release read.  

"We do not know of anywhere in the world where even if a researcher's research analysis, opinion and criticism goes against the steps taken by the government they have to face a parliamentary committee for the sake of independent and impartial knowledge," it said.

"Rather, it is customary to invite university teachers to assist in government work, to determine government policy.

"Seeing such behaviour of the parliamentary committees, it seems that all these committees are not aware of the limitations of their responsibilities and powers. Otherwise, if any thought, opinion, analysis, knowledge creation has to be held accountable before the parliamentary committee, then we fear that it will block the path of research beyond the freedom of speech, freedom of the press. We urge the parliamentary committee to refrain from interfering in the practice of knowledge in the future," the statement further said.

Tasneem Siddiqi, a teacher at the Department of Political Science of Dhaka University, on 23 September appeared before the parliamentary standing committee to explain her interview.