A special parliamentary committee established to review 133 ordinances issued during the interim government has highlighted 20 areas that need further clarification. Committee head Zainul Abedin shared this update with journalists following a meeting at the Cabinet Room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
“We have thoroughly examined all 133 ordinances and concluded discussions on them over the past two days,” he stated. “While we are in agreement on many, we have pinpointed four issues on Tuesday and identified several more yesterday, totaling 20 where additional clarity is necessary.”
The committee is set to reconvene on March 29 at 8:30 pm after the parliamentary session to delve deeper into these unresolved matters. Zainul expressed hopes of resolving all issues and reaching final decisions in that meeting.
He mentioned that Jamaat members did not raise objections to the ordinances approved by consensus. “The ones we have agreed upon and passed encountered no objections from them,” he confirmed.
Zainul Abedin emphasized that ordinances needing further scrutiny would be carefully reviewed before any conclusive action is taken. He also highlighted the parliament’s deadline of April 2 for submitting the committee’s report.
Warning against missing the deadline, Zainul Abedin stated that failure to submit the report on time would hinder parliamentary discussions on the ordinances. He elaborated on the constitutional provision that mandates ordinances to lapse automatically if no decision is made within one month of the parliamentary session’s commencement.
Addressing queries, he mentioned that decisions on crucial ordinances related to the referendum, the Anti-Corruption Commission, police commission, judicial appointments, and the human rights commission are pending. When asked about the referendum ordinance’s fate, he clarified, “We have neither proposed its repeal nor retention. It is open for discussion.”
He highlighted that contentious issues could be presented to parliament as bills following further deliberations. “Our aim is to proceed in line with the Constitution,” he affirmed.
In a separate development, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed indicated that the review process of the 133 ordinances issued during the interim government’s tenure is nearing completion. “Consensus has been achieved on four ordinances concerning ‘July protection’, which will be presented in Parliament in their current form,” he informed reporters after a special parliamentary committee meeting.
The ordinances are being grouped into three categories for decision-making, with a focus on the “July National Charter” and adherence to constitutional requirements. “We are prioritizing the July National Charter and evaluating each bill based on constitutional mandates and public expectations,” Salahuddin Ahmed stated.