Parliament Forms Special Committee on Constitutional Reform
A session of the National Parliament. File phot
Parliament has formed a special committee to oversee constitutional amendments. Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has been appointed chairman of the committee.
The other members are Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, Law Minister Md. Asaduzzaman, State Minister for Land and Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs Mir Helal Uddin, State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, BNP MPs Zainul Abedin, Shakila Farzana, and Mahmudul Haque Rubel, Ganosamhati Andolan MP Jonayed Abdur Rahim Saki, BJP MP Andaleev Rahman Partho, Gono Odhikar Parishad MP Nurul Haque, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh MP Md. Oli Ullah.
The committee has kept five seats vacant to accommodate representatives from the opposition.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni tabled the proposal to form the special committee in Parliament on Monday. The House later approved it by voice vote.
Although the committee was originally scheduled to have 17 members, Parliament formed a 12-member body after the opposition did not nominate its representatives. The remaining members will be added once the opposition submits its nominations.
However, Opposition Leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman rejected the proposal to form the committee. He and other opposition lawmakers later staged a walkout and left the House at 9:23 p.m.
During the previous parliamentary session, Law Adviser Asaduzzaman proposed forming a 17-member special committee to amend the Constitution. At the April 29 sitting, he said the treasury bench, the ruling party, and independent lawmakers would nominate 12 members. He also asked the opposition to nominate five members.
At the time, Opposition Leader Dr. Shafiqur Rahman informed Parliament that his party would announce its decision later. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament afterward, he said the opposition would not nominate any members to the special committee.
