United News of Bangladesh

Two notices filed under Rule 71 (matters of urgent public importance) could not be disposed of in Parliament on Monday due to the absence of the ministers concerned. The day's agenda began with the question and answer session, which was tabled, followed by discussions on three notices under Rule 71. The first notice, submitted by BNP lawmaker Zainul Abdin Farroque, was directed to the Home Ministry. The first notice, submitted by BNP lawmaker Zainul Abdin Farroque, was directed to the Home Ministry. After Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad called for the notice to be read, it was noted that the minister had not yet arrived. The Speaker requested the member to wait, noting the minister's delay. The Speaker then informed the member raising the second notice that they would also have to wait, as the minister concerned was not visible in the House. While the Speaker initially suggested postponing the disposal of all notices, he later called upon Sunamganj-1 MP Kamruzzaman Kamrul to read the third notice. However, that notice also remained unaddressed as the MP was absent at the time. The absence of several senior ministers and treasury bench members was attributed to Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman’s visit to Jashore for various official programmes, including the inauguration of a canal re-excavation project. The session, scheduled to begin at 3:00pm, started several minutes late, prompting criticism from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Md Mahbubur Rahman. He emphasised that as the nation's highest representatives, members should be more disciplined regarding attendance and punctuality.   He noted that Sunday's session had also started 30 minutes late and requested that any reasons for delays be announced officially at the start of proceedings. In response, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad clarified that the session time had been announced the previous night but was delayed because parliamentarians arrived late. He urged members to be present at the scheduled time to avoid future disruptions. Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam Moni apologised for the recent delays, explaining that Sunday’s 10-minute delay was due to a parliamentary party meeting following a state programme attended by the Prime Minister. Regarding Monday's session, he confirmed that many MPs and ministers were in Jashore with the Prime Minister, leading to the delay. The Chief Whip assured the House that the treasury bench will be more careful to ensure sessions start on time in the future. The Speaker concluded the discussion by reminding the House that parliamentary activities must take priority over any other government business.