Independent Member of Parliament Rumin Farhana from Brahmanbaria-2 has demanded that the recently signed trade agreement between Bangladesh and the United States be brought before Parliament. Speaking on a point of order during Wednesday’s session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, she argued that the deal, signed on February 9—three days before the national election—contains clauses contrary to Bangladesh’s interests. She noted that the government retains the option to cancel the agreement within 60 days if it chooses.

Farhana referred to a meeting held the previous day between the US ambassador and Bangladesh’s commerce minister, where issues such as trade imbalance, agricultural and energy imports, business environment reforms, and investment policies were discussed. She emphasized that the agreement was signed by an interim government despite objections from civil society and think tanks, who argued that such a government lacked the mandate to finalize international deals.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed ruled that her remarks did not constitute a valid point of order and advised her to submit a formal notice instead. Her request to table the agreement in Parliament was not accepted.