Seventh session of ninth JS begins without BNP

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The sitting of the seventh session of the 9th Jatiya Sangsad began sans opposition BNP Sunday with Speaker Mohammad Abdul Hamid Advocate in the chair, report agencies.
The proceedings of the House started with recitation from the holy Quran.
The Speaker in an opening statement in the House again urged the opposition to sit in parliament to speak on all important subjects.
The seventh session will continue for five days till December 9 this year.
This was decided at a meeting of the business advisory committee held at the Sangsad Bhaban Sunday with the Speaker in the chair.
Meanwhile, BNP has informed the speaker that it would not join the current session of the parliament.
Opposition chief whip Zainul Abedin Farroque conveyed the party's decision to the speaker over telephone Saturday.
Farroque, in a press briefing at parliament's media centre, told journalists about the BNP's stance to continue its parliament boycott.
He said, "We're not joining the session as we have not received any response regarding our proposals on issues like price hike, deteriorating law and order situation, ensuring uninterrupted water-power-gas supply."
Farroque also said he had informed the Speaker about the opposition leader's decision as he made some proposals during their telephone conversations the previous day [Saturday].
The Jatiya Sangsad unanimously adopted obituary references on the deaths of 14 eminent personalities including former minister and sector commander of the War of Liberation Lt Gen (retd) Mir Shawkat Ali and former state minister Dewan Farid Gazi.
Earlier, Speaker Abdul Hamid Advocate moved the obituary references separately with brief resumes on them, who died since the prorogation of the sixth session of the current parliament.
Other noted personalities mourned by the JS included former MPs Advocate Lutful Hai Sachchu, Dr Ashabul Haque, Dr AAM Mesbahul Haque, Abul Hasnat Md Abdul Hai, Chitra Bhattacharya and Maulana Habibur Rahman and former Members of the National Assembly Ataur Rahman Khan Kaisar and Abdur Razzak Bhuiyan, Freedom Fighter Maj Gen (retd) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury, ex-ambassador KM Shamsur Rahman, Tagore Song exponent Kalim Sharafi and administrative official of parliament secretariat Mohammad Mostafa.
Besides, the JS expressed deep shock at the death of former secretary Nuruddin Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor Dr Abu Yusuf Alam and others who were killed in different accidents.
The House prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved families.