According to parliament’s rules of procedure if the attention of the speaker is drawn to the fact that the number of members present is less than sixty, he or she shall adjourn the sitting.
Thursday’s session started with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair at 4:30pm.
Leader of the House Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also present at the time.
The BNP sits out of parliament now after the party’s boycott of the 2014 elections.
Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah disposed of the notices calling attention to matters of urgent public importance first after the question-answer session.
Most of the MPs, who served the notices on the ministers, were absent.
When the deputy speaker asked Opposition Whip Nurul Islam Omar to place his notice, he failed to do so as he was speaking with other MPs.
Deputy Speaker Miah then asked him to be more attentive to parliament’s business.
Around 7:30pm, counting the deputy speaker in, the number of MPs present in parliament dropped to 58.
Among the Cabinet members, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc were present at the time.
Shamsul Haque Tuku, Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury, Didarul Alam, MA Maleque and Rahim Ullah submitted private members’ motions on Thursday, but the first three of them were absent.
Many of the MPs, who posed questions for the question-answer session, were also absent. They included Abdul Matin and AKM Zahangir Hossain.
The deputy speaker adjourned the session at 8:20pm until Sunday.
