Forming parliamentary committees will be the top priority of the third parliamentary session, which begins tomorrow, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said on Wednesday, adding that the committees would be finalised as soon as the opposition party submits its members’ names.

“The session may be short but could be extended if necessary,” Moni said during a media interview at the parliament building. About six important bills may be tabled, including legislation on property transfer, enforced disappearance and human rights protection.

Under the proposed property transfer law, parents who transfer property to their children would retain possession and usage rights for as long as they live, an attempt to prevent children neglecting parents after asset transfers, the chief whip said.

On the July Charter and constitutional reform, Moni said the public had voted on the basis of the election manifesto and placed their trust in the government. “That trust had made Tarique Rahman prime minister,” he said. “New laws would be enacted and existing ones amended where required in the national interest.”

Moni said a 17-member committee has been proposed for constitutional amendment, with seven proposed members from BNP, five from Jamaat and one each from smaller parties. Opposition members would be included if their parties provided names.

The chief whip said the third session would make parliamentary activity more dynamic, with the legislature playing a stronger role in passing important laws, improving the functioning of committees and ensuring government accountability.

On the country’s ongoing crisis, he said no government could resolve all long-standing issues in six months, adding that major infrastructure problems, including power plant construction, needed time.

“The people must be patient and everyone must cooperate in the national interest,” he said.

On power sector contracts, the chief whip alleged that agreements signed by the previous government had created long-term economic liabilities for the country. He noted that a law had been enacted with immunity provisions that limited the scope for questioning these contracts, claiming that capacity charges paid without power generation had placed heavy pressure on public finances.

Moni described the Adani power deal as a “heinous crime”, saying Bangladesh was having to buy electricity at high prices under the deal. He said cooperation from all sides was needed to help the country get out of the economic pressure created by such contracts.