By IANS
Dhaka : Bangladesh parliament Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar is to attend an Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in South Africa although parliament here was dissolved in November 2006.
Sarkar’s visit to Cape Town will cost Taka three million ($50,000) – a move that has attracted criticism, media reports said Thursday.
Elections in Bangladesh were called off amid political turmoil in January 2007. The country is being governed by a caretaker government. Though the parliament has been dissolved, the speaker continues until the next parliament is formed.
The government has promised elections at the end of this year. However, major political parties and their detained leaders doubt if they will ever be held.
Speaker Sarkar is leading a four-member delegation to South Africa. The team includes Additional Secretary to the Parliament Kuddus Khan, his personal secretary Habibur Rahman and an assistant personal secretary M.A. Majid.
The IPU Assembly begins next Sunday.
Criticising Sarkar’s move to attend the meet, Abdul Hamid, a former speaker, told The Daily Star newspaper: “I don’t see any need for participating in the IPU Assembly since the country has no parliament now.”