Jatiya Sangsad on Wednesday passed 13 more bills, including the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill ratifying an ordinance that empowered the governemnt to ban any entity on terrorism charges and under which the interim government banned activities of the Awami League.
The 13 bills, including the July Mass Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Bill 2026, upheld related ordinances issued by the immediate past interim government.
Of the 13 bills, nine were passed unanimously in the morning session chaired by speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, while four others were approved in the evening session chaired by deputy speaker Kayser Kamal.
After the passage of nine bills in the morning, chief whip Md Nurul Islam Moni informed the parliament that 54 of the 133 ordinances issued by the interim administration had been tabled as of Wednesday afternoon.
Home minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Salahuddin Ahmed tabled the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2026, the July Mass Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Bill 2026, and the Security of Family Members of the Father of the Nation (Repeal) Bill 2026 in the parliament.
The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill seeks to strengthen laws against terrorist organisations and amend previous anti-terror legislation. It includes provisions to ban individuals or entities involved in terrorist acts and their activities.
After the bill was tabled, opposition leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman sought additional time to review the legislation, citing its sensitive nature.
The speaker ruled that objections could not be raised at that stage, as the stipulated time for submitting proposals had already expired.
Defending the amendment, the home minister said that it was necessary to implement measures reflecting public opinion and to update the ICT Act, 1973 to facilitate the prosecution of terrorist organisations.
He said the law had been amended to ensure the trial of organisations responsible for genocide.
Salahuddin said that Jamaa and the National Cizizen Party had previously carried out movements and shaped public opinion, adding that under the amended law, the Awami League’s activities and registration had been suspended.
The July Mass Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Bill 2026 recognises participants of the 2024 student-led uprising against what it describes as a fascist regime as ‘mass uprising participants’ and grants them constitutional protection.
The bill mandates the withdrawal of civil and criminal cases against participants and allows new cases only under specific conditions related to lawful participation.
The legislation retroactively recognises actions taken between July 1, 2024 and January 25, 2026.
Cumilla-4 lawmaker and NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah raised concerns over the role assigned to the National Human Rights Commission in determining accountability and granting protections under the bill.
He said assigning such responsibility to the NHRC without ensuring full autonomy could undermine impartiality.
The home minister defended the government’s plan, promising to strengthen the commission and ensure justice for victims.
The Security of Family Members of the Father of the Nation (Repeal) Bill 2026 was also passed, removing provisions that granted special state security exclusively to the family of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Originally gazetted in 2009 and amended through a presidential notification in 2015, the law provided specific protections to Sheikh Mujib’s family members.
The interim government repealed the provisions in 2024, and the newly passed bill makes that repeal permanent.
Finance minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury tabled the Public Audit Bill 2026, fisheries minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid placed the Protection and Conservation of Fish (Amendment) Bill 2026, and state minister Mir Shahe Alam, on behalf of minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, placed the Sheikh Hasina Rural Development Academy, Jamalpur (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026. All were passed unanimously.
The parliament also approved the Spatial Planning Bill 2026 and the Abandoned Buildings (Supplementary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2026, placed by housing and public works minister Zakaria Taher.
In the evening session, the home minister, on behalf of prime minister Tarique Rahman, placed the Special Security Force (Amendment) Bill 2026, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Bangladesh Private Export Processing Zones (Repeal) Bill 2026, which were passed unanimously.
Later, law, justice and parliamentary affairs minister Md Asaduzzaman placed the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2026, which was also passed unanimously.
Following the passage of the bills, the deputy speaker adjourned the session until 10:30am today.
Speaking to reporters at the JS complex, the chief whip said that lawmakers were under pressure to ratify 133 ordinances issued by the interim government within 30 days of the commencement of the first session, as stipulated under article 93 of the constitution.
He said that several ordinances had been consolidated into single bills for efficiency, with three ordinances incorporated into one bill and four into another.
Additional sittings, including on Friday, may be held to ensure that all remaining legislation is passed within the constitutional timeframe, he added.
