Parliament on Sunday adopted a condolence motion, expressing profound shock at the death of 16 former ministers, state ministers and members of parliament, including Tofail Ahmed and Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, as well as some noted personalities.

The motion was unanimously adopted in the House shortly after the first budget session of the current parliament began at 3:00pm.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad moved the motion, which was passed following observance of a one-minute silence and a munajat conducted by Whip ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan.

Those remembered include three former ministers – Tofail Ahmed (MP from Bhola-1), Engineer Mosharraf Hossain (Chattogram-1) and Barrister Shafique Ahmed (Technocrat Minister) – and three former state ministers – Syed Md Kaisar (now defunct Sylhet-17), Prof MA Mannan (Gazipur-2) and Mizanur Rahman Sinha (Munshiganj-2).

The remaining 10 are former MPs – GM Fazlul Haque (Chandpur-3), ABM Anwarul Haque (Manikganj-1), Md Shamsuddoha (Nilphamari-2), Abu Nur Mohammad Bahaul Haque (Narayanganj-3), Dewan Shamsul Abedin (Sunamganj-3), Golam Sarwar Milon (Manikganj-4), Moslem Uddin (Mymensingh-6), Dabirul Islam (Thakurgaon-2), Abdul Matin (Moulvibazar-2) and AKM Rahmat Ullah (Dhaka-11).

The House also mourned the death of noted personalities, including eminent educationalist Prof Dilara Hafiz (Speaker Hafiz Uddin’s spouse), National Professor Sufia Ahmed, poet and journalist Helal Hafiz, cultural personality and President of Chhayanaut Sanjida Khatun, eminent historian and writer Badruddin Umar and Ramisa Akter, who was killed after rape.

Besides, parliament expressed grief over the loss of lives in different accidents at home and abroad.