Enforced disappearance, human rights bills among 6 expected in 3rd JS session: Chief Whip

Six new bills, including those on preventing enforced disappearances, protecting human rights and property transfer act are expected to be tabled in the third session of the National Parliament beginning Thursday, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament complex, Moni said the five-to-10-day session would prioritise the bills and the formation of parliamentary committees, though its duration could be extended depending on circumstances.

He said the committees would be finalised once opposition parties submit their nominees.

A proposed 17-member committee on constitutional reform will include seven members from the BNP, five from Jamaat-e-Islami and one representative each from smaller parties, he said.

“The government’s main goal is to implement the commitments made by all political parties in the July Charter,” Moni said, adding that constitutional reform is a normal process in a democratic system.

He urged opposition parties to raise the government’s shortcomings in Parliament instead of taking to the streets or creating unrest.

“We want the opposition to come to Parliament, speak for the people and find solutions through the democratic process,” he said.

On the economic and power crises, Moni said problems accumulated over years could not be resolved in just six months. Building a new power plant alone takes at least two years, he said.

Criticising the previous Awami League government’s power-sector policies, he accused it of placing a heavy burden on the public through capacity payments and immunity laws. He also described the power agreement with India’s Adani Group as a “heinous crime,” saying it had forced Bangladesh to buy electricity at high prices.