The first sitting of the 13th National Parliament today adopted a condolence motion expressing profound grief over the deaths of several national and international figures, including the country’s three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia and the martyrs of the July mass uprising.
The House also paid tribute to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Pope Francis, and former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh. In addition, the motion included BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
Later, the House included the names of Jamaat leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi in the list of the obituary motion.
Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said the condolence motion was “one-sided” and that greater awareness was needed to make the parliament more neutral and vibrant in the future.
He then proposed including several additional names, including Matiur Rahman Nizami, Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, Abdus Subhan, Sheikh Ansar Ali, Riyasat Ali, Abdul Khaleq Mondol, Hafeza Asma Khatun, Rokeya Ansar, Sultana Razia, Rasheda Khatun, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, AKM Yusuf, Professor Nazir Ahmed, Kamaruzzaman, Abdul Quader Mollah, and Mir Quasem Ali.
He also said Shapla Chattar incident involved Hefazat-e-Islam rather than Jamaat-e-Islami and paid tribute to those killed in the July uprising.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin said the names mentioned by the opposition deputy leader would be included in the condolence motion.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam later proposed adding several more names, including Gautam Chakraborty, MA Matin, Mujibur Rahman Manju, Anwarul Hossain Khan and Air Vice Marshal AK Khandker. He also requested MPs to inform the Parliamentary Secretariat if any other names had been omitted.
Opposition chief whip Nahid Islam later proposed including the names of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, Abrar Fahad -- described as a martyr in the struggle against “Indian hegemony” -- and Felani Khatun in the condolence motion. The Speaker said the names would be incorporated.
The Speaker proposed including those killed in the 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown and the 2009 Pilkhana massacre in the condolence motion.
The condolence motion also paid tribute to victims of the aircraft crash at Milestone School and College, and a number of distinguished personalities from home and abroad.
The motion on Khaleda Zia noted that Bangladesh lost its “three-time former prime minister and two-time former leader of the opposition in parliament, the second female prime minister in the Muslim world and an uncompromising leader of democracy, and former chairperson of the BNP” on December 30, 2025. It said the Jatiya Sangsad expressed “deep sorrow and grief” at her death.
The motion, after highlighting Khaleda Zia’s contributions to the nation and its politics, described her as “a memorable, beloved, exemplary and most popular politician of Bangladesh.”
Her leadership and personality, her uncompromising role in the interests of the country and the people made her a reliable politician to the people.
The condolence motion remembered those killed between 2007 and August 2024 in struggles for democracy, rule of law, justice and human rights. It stated that many people had fallen victim to enforced disappearance, crimes against humanity, killings in the name of crossfire, torture and mass arrests.
The motion also paid tribute to those killed during the July 2024 uprising, including Abu Sayed and Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho.
It remembered former BNP lawmaker Ilias Ali, who became a victim of enforced disappearance.
Later, several lawmakers took part in the discussion on the motion before its adoption by one minute silence and prayer.
