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2026, removes the 67-year limit for the IDRA chair and members.
A debate followed the passage of the bills, with opposition MPs questioning the timing and intent of the amendments and raising broader concerns over recent regulatory appointments, including that of the Bangladesh Bank governor. Treasury bench members rejected the allegations.
Independent MP Rumeen Farhana moved to send the bills to a public opinion review committee, effectively limiting further formal discussion. Although several opposition MPs sought to speak, the speaker allowed Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman to participate.
Shafiqur Rahman objected to the legislative process, saying members had not received the bills in time.
“We were supposed to receive the bills three days earlier, but we didn’t even get them a day before. We just received them on our desks. I request you not to curtail our rights,” he said.
The speaker said the report had been circulated the previous day and that proceedings were within his discretion, before moving to pass the bills.
After the passage, NCP’s Akhter Hossen questioned whether the removal of age limits was intended to favour specific individuals.
He also recalled that during BNP’s tenure in 2001, the retirement age of the Chief Justice was raised, which he said led to prolonged national suffering.
“If something similar happens in the future, the government will have to take responsibility,” he added.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury defended the amendments, saying they reflected demographic and economic realities.
“When the securities law was first enacted, the average age was 57. Now it is 72. Given the new economic context, if qualified individuals want to serve, we must take this into account. There is no room for emotion here,” he said.
He added that parliamentary rules typically restrict debate after a bill’s passage, but he responded to address concerns raised.
Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman also criticised recent appointments to financial institutions, including the central bank governor, alleging a lack of neutrality.
“If everything is politicised and family or group interests are prioritised, the country will not progress,” he said.
Deputy Opposition Leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher went further, questioning the governor’s neutrality.
“He was part of BNP’s election steering committee… he should be removed, and a qualified governor appointed,” he said.
The finance minister rejected the claim, saying political association did not determine affiliation.
“Supporting a party does not make someone a party man. Assisting in election activities does not make someone a party man,” he said, adding that appointments during BNP rule were also non-political and maintained that the current governor’s performance has been strong.
Regardless of religion
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Purnima at the Public Administration Hall of the Cabinet Division at the Secretariat.
He also extended greetings to the Buddhist community on the occasion.
During the meeting, Tarique said building a state and society where citizens can freely practise their religious beliefs without obstruction remains a key responsibility of the government.
The administration’s political philosophy is “Bangladeshi nationalism”, he added.
“It has been proven many times in Bangladesh that only this philosophy can ensure coexistence among all races, religious communities and ethnic groups,” he said.
“So, none of you should ever think of yourselves as minorities. The state belongs to all of us. Every citizen is Bangladeshi,” he added.
“Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians -- together, with the sacrifice of millions of lives, we achieved independence. During the Liberation War, no one asked who followed which religion,” he said.
“This independent Bangladesh belongs to all of us.”
At the event, the Buddhist community presented the prime minister with a commemorative crest and a replica of a Buddha statue.