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Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal stated that no opportunity for any kind of looting will be given in the stock market. He said that just as there was no scope for irregularities in the stock market during the BNP rule, no one will be given that opportunity in the present time either.
He made this statement on Thursday (April 30) morning while addressing the 13th session of the Bangladesh National Parliament. On this day, he proposed the consideration of the special committee’s recommendations on the ‘Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026’, which aims to amend the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission Act, 1993.
Rumin Farhana, Member of Parliament for Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, proposed a public opinion verification on the bill. Speaking in favour of the proposal, she said that the capital market is extremely important for a strong economy. Citing past examples, she mentioned the stock market crashes of 1996 and 2010, and claimed that over one lakh crore taka has been plundered from the stock market in the last 15 years.
Rumin Farhana further stated that to restore confidence in the stock market, those responsible must be brought to justice, and the appointment of skilled and qualified individuals in regulatory bodies must be ensured.
In response, the Finance Minister partially agreed with her statement but opined that there was no need for re-verification of the bill. He stated that the special committee has already examined the bill, so there is no need to send it for public opinion verification again. Later, the proposal for public opinion verification was rejected by voice vote.
In the same session, the appointment of the Governor of Bangladesh Bank was also discussed. Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Leader of the Opposition and Member of Parliament for Dhaka-15 constituency, stated that recent appointments and departures are not consistent with democratic processes.
In response, the Finance Minister said that the current Governor’s performance is better than at any previous time, and the government has a clear stance against political appointments in the financial sector.
At this time, Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Member of Parliament for Cumilla-11 constituency, questioned whether the current Governor would be replaced due to involvement in electoral activities. In reply, the Finance Minister stated that supporting a party does not make someone a party member.
Towards the end of the session, the ‘Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority Amendment Bill-2026’ was passed by voice vote. However, the opposition had objections to this bill, as well as other bills discussed.