In a groundbreaking departure from traditional majoritarian parliamentary control, the 13th Parliament has formed its high-stakes Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by placing Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, a top opposition lawmaker and Deputy Leader of the Opposition, at the absolute helm.
The move marks a revolutionary milestone in Bangladesh’s legislative history, signaling a structural shift toward authentic state accountability and institutional checks and balances.
On Wednesday, Chief Whip Nurul Islam introduced the historic proposal on behalf of Leader of the House Tariq Rahman, which was passed with absolute unanimity in the Jatiya Sangsad.
While the ruling administration has formed nine parliamentary standing committees so far, the decision to cede the chairmanship of the most powerful financial oversight body to the opposition is being hailed as a defining political precedent. The appointment honors an agreement brokered by the National Consensus Commission, which mandated that four critical parliamentary committees be led by opposition voices to ensure unbiased state scrutiny.
By handing the chairmanship to Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, a senior leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the parliament has effectively institutionalized a system where the opposition will directly oversee, audit, and interrogate state expenditure and government accounts.
The newly established 15-member committee features prominent lawmakers across the political spectrum, including Amanullah Aman (Dhaka-2), A B M Ashraf Uddin Nizan (Lakshmipur-4), A K M Fazlul Haque Milon (Gazipur-5), Mohammad Hafiz Ibrahim (Bhola-2), A M Mahbub Uddin Khokon (Noakhali-1), Mohammad Jalaluddin (Chandpur-2), Md. Mahbubur Rahman (Mymensingh-7), S K Azizul Bari Helal (Khulna-4), Mohammad Monzurul Islam (Dinajpur-1), Fazle Huda (Naogaon-3), Mohammad Zakir Hosain (Mymensingh-5), Syed Joinul Abedin (Dhaka-4), Md. Ruhul Amin (Chuadanga-2), and Mohammad Anwarul Islam (Kurigram-1).
By giving the opposition total leadership over the watchdog tasked with keeping the executive branch in check, this legislative term breaks away from years of absolute ruling-party dominance, charting a new era for democratic transparency in Bangladesh.
