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Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman and other MPs offer a special munajat for the departed souls following the adoption of a condolence motion at the opening sitting of the fourth session of the 13th Parliament at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Monday. -PMO Photo
The fourth session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) began on Monday with the placement of three ordinances and the Bogura Development Authority Bill, 2026, and the adoption of a condolence motion.
It started shortly after 3:30pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair. The session will continue until 18 November, with sittings starting at 4:20pm daily, except Fridays and Saturdays.
At the start, the Speaker nominated a five-member Panel of Chairmen to preside over proceedings in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The members are Md Shahjahan of Noakhali-4, Sarwar Jamal Nizam of Chattogram-12, Barrister Muhammad Naushad Zamir of Panchagarh-1, Shahjahan Chowdhury of Chattogram-15 and reserved-seat MP Rasheda Begum Hira.
Three ordinances issued since the previous session were placed before the House for conversion into Acts. They are the Public Procurement (Amendment) Ordinance, the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (Amendment) Ordinance and the Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance, 2026. The respective ministries will place three separate bills.
Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher Sumon also placed the Bogura Development Authority Bill, 2026, which was referred to the relevant parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny.
The House unanimously adopted a condolence motion mourning four former MPs – Monowar Hossain Chowdhury, Muhammed Shafiqur Rahman, Salahuddin Ahmed and Abdul Hai – and Abu Taher Abdul Muntakim, a former Constituent Assembly member, and several other prominent personalities. It then observed a one-minute silence, followed by a special munajat led by State Minister for Religious Affairs Mohammad Shamim Kaisar.
In his opening remarks, the Speaker said the previous Awami League government had trampled democracy for 17 years through oppression, injustice and dummy elections.
“The student-led mass uprising of 2024 has marked a fresh beginning for the march of democracy in Bangladesh,” he said.
He said Parliament is the highest institutional expression of the people’s sovereignty and democratic aspirations, adding that parliamentary democracy depends on dialogue, logic, mutual respect and responsible expression of views.
The Speaker also informed the House of the detention of Satkhira-4 MP GM Nazrul Islam, who is in jail in a case over the alleged abetment of his second wife’s suicide.
In a written reply to reserved-seat MP Newaz Halima Arly, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said the government would launch a nationwide talent hunt, “Notun Kuri Sports”, for children aged 10-14, with competitions in 10 disciplines starting at the union level.
The initiative aims to promote young people’s physical and mental well-being, keep them away from drug abuse and juvenile gangs, and engage them in constructive activities.
In a written reply to MP Advocate Md Jalauddin, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the NGO Affairs Bureau had cancelled the registrations of 722 NGOs between 2009 and 2024 over irregularities, fund embezzlement through forged signatures and violations of registration conditions. It also ordered them to cease all activities.
The minister said the bureau registers NGOs, renews registrations, approves projects funded by foreign donations, releases funds and monitors implementation under government regulations. It has coordinated the activities of foreign-funded NGOs since its establishment under the Prime Minister’s Office in 1990.
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