The National Parliament on Tuesday passed eight bills to turn ordinances issued during the tenure of the interim government into formal laws.
Nine bills had been introduced in Parliament, but only eight were passed.
There were no clause-wise amendment proposals in the bills. Therefore, there was no discussion on the bills in the parliament. After the relevant ministers raised them, the bills were passed directly by voice vote.
Among the passed bills was the significant International Crimes (Tribunals) (Amendment) Bill. This bill seeks to make amendments to the existing tribunal law, which includes important provisions related to the prosecution of crimes against humanity, including enforced disappearances.
Earlier in the session, two bills were passed on Sunday, followed by seven on Monday, bringing the total number of bills passed over the past three days to 17.
Since no amendments were proposed to the bills, there was no discussion in the Parliament, and the bills were quickly passed following the formal presentation by the respective ministers.
Out of the 133 ordinances issued during the interim government, the parliamentary special committee recommended that 98 be approved in their original form, 15 in amended form, while four were suggested for repeal. The committee recommended that the remaining 16 ordinances be strengthened and replaced with new bills later.
Of the eight bills passed on Tuesday, the special committee recommended that they be adopted in their original form.
One of the key bills passed was the ‘Haor and Wetland Conservation Bill,’ proposed by Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie. This bill was passed by voice vote.
Subsequently, Law Minister Asaduzzaman presented the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, the Civil Courts (Amendment) Bill, the International Crimes (Tribunals) (Amendment) Bill, and the Registration (Amendment) Bill separately, all of which were passed by voice vote.
While proposing the passage of the International Crimes Tribunal Bill, the law minister highlighted that the bill includes enforced disappearance within the definition of crimes against humanity. He urged those who claim that the government does not wish to legislate on enforced disappearances to review the bill carefully, asserting that the current government is determined to prosecute such crimes, as reflected in the legislation.
Following the bill’s passage, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman raised a point of order, stating that the Law Minister’s remarks were unnecessary and that the matter could be discussed at a later time. In response, the Law Minister explained that his comments were meant to address external concerns about the government’s commitment to prosecuting enforced disappearances.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad intervened, emphasizing that the discussions in Parliament should be focused on the issues at hand, rather than external commentary. He assured that action would be taken according to the law based on what is adopted.
The Speaker then moved on to the passage of other bills.
Further bills passed related to the Ministry of Health. These bills primarily concerned amendments to laws regarding institutional name changes. The bills were passed to approve these amendments.
In the absence of the Health Minister, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed introduced three health-related bills: the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (Amendment) Bill and the Sheikh Hasina Medical University (Amendment) Bill.
While presenting the second bill, Salahuddin humorously remarked, “It is a very sad matter. What I have said so far, now I have to say it again—Sheikh Hasina.”
Finally, Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain proposed the passage of the ‘Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Medical University, Sylhet (Amendment) Bill,’ which was also passed by voice vote.
