FROM PAGE 1

(Interim Special Provisions) Ordinance 2024, the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance 2025, the Supreme Court Secretariat Ordinance 2025, the Supreme Court Secretariat (Amendment) Ordinance 2026, and three ordinances related to the National Human Rights Commission passed between 2024 and 2025.

The 13 lapsed ordinances include two on Revenue Policy and Revenue Management for 2025, the Referendum Ordinance, two on the Prevention and Remedy of Enforced Disappearance, the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, the Microfinance Bank Ordinance, the Right to Information (Amendment) Ordinance, the Customs (Amendment) Ordinance, the Income Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, the Civil Aviation (Amendment) Ordinance, the Bangladesh Travel Agency (Registration and Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, and the Police Commission Ordinance.

Parliament secretariat sources said that between April 5 and yesterday, the Jatiya Sangsad passed 91 bills on the ordinances, including four that repealed seven.

Through 87 bills, 113 ordinances were approved, including one enabling the ban on Awami League activities and another granting indemnity to July mass uprising participants.

On the final day alone, 24 bills were passed. Two bills were passed on April 5, seven on April 6, 14 on April 7, 13 on April 8, and 31 on April 9.

On March 12, the opening day of the first session, the law minister presented all 133 ordinances, which were then sent to a special committee for review.

On April 2, committee Chairman Zainul Abedin submitted a report recommending that 98 ordinances be approved unchanged, 15 in amended form, four repealed, and 16 reintroduced later as stronger bills.

Although the committee recommended reintroducing the NHRC-related ordinances as a new bill, parliament instead repealed those and reinstated the 2009 law.

Similarly, while the committee advised passing the Police Commission Ordinance in amended form, it was not brought forward.

24 BILLS PASSED

The 24 bills passed yesterday are the Narayanganj Development Authority Bill, the Barishal Development Authority Bill 2026, the Mymensingh Development Authority Bill, the Cumilla Development Authority Bill, the Rangpur Development Authority Bill, the Deposit Protection Bill, the Excise and Salt (Amendment) Bill, the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (Amendment) Bill, the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (Amendment) Bill, the Forest Industries Development Corporation Bill 2026, the Dhaka Central University Bill, a university-related law amendment bill for renaming 13 universities, the National Data Management Bill, the Cyber Security Bill, the Grameen Bank (Amendment) Bill, the Bangladesh Bank (Amendment) Bill, the Moheshkhali Integrated Development Authority Bill, the Prevention of Oppression against Women and Children (Amendment) Bill, the Wildlife (Conservation and Protection) Bill, the Welfare and Rehabilitation of the Families of Martyrs and July Fighters of the July Uprising Bill, the Bank Resolution Bill, the Finance (2025-26 Financial Year) Bill, the July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill, and the Smoking and Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Bill.

Opposition MPs raised objections to the Bank Resolution Bill, the July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill, and the Smoking and Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Bill, but the bills were passed by voice vote.

They later staged a walkout after debate followed the passage of the July Uprising Memorial Museum Bill.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam took the floor twice, saying the ordinance was among the 98 agreed to be passed unchanged and that the opposition had honoured the consensus. “But in this case, we saw daylight trickery and outright deception,” he alleged.

Before the walkout, Shafiqur said both the parliamentary special committee and advisory committee had agreed on ratifying all 133 ordinances. “But we are not seeing many bills… We have vital concerns about ordinances on enforced disappearance, the Police Commission, and the Anti-Corruption Commission. We want clarity on the fate of the remaining ordinances.”

Asaduzzman said the government had not deviated from the committee’s report and that discussions had been held on enforced disappearance and the NHRC. He assured certain bills would be reintroduced after further scrutiny.

Shafiqur said failing to ratify all ordinances amounted to a breach of consensus.

After speeches by the home minister and chief whip, the Speaker said the remaining bills would be placed in the next session.

Shafiqur then alleged the opposition was being “blacked out”. The Speaker replied that the opposition had the right to walk out.

Shafiqur said, “You promised justice for all. But today we are not receiving justice from you.”

After further explanation by the law minister, Shafiqur said, “Inshallah, we will meet again here. But for today, we are walking out with sorrow.”

Lawmakers from Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, and Khelafat Majlish left the chamber at around 7:37pm.

Afterwards, the house passed the Smoking and Tobacco Products (Control) (Amendment) Bill.

‘GOVT THINKS WE ARE CHILDREN’

Speaking at a press conference following the walkout, Shafiqur accused the government of trying to mislead the opposition through “tactics”.

“If you wave an orange in front of a child, it cannot tell whether it is real or plastic and runs towards it. Perhaps they [ruling party] think we are like those children,” said Shafiqur, also the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam alleged the government had gone back on prior understandings on several key ordinances.

The two leaders said the walkout was staged in protest against repeated breaches of commitments and procedural irregularities in parliament, vowing to continue their fight for people’s rights.