Parliamentary committee wants touring peacekeeping missions

The parliamentary committee on the Ministry of Defense wants to go abroad to see the activities of members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces working in UN peacekeeping missions. In light of the committee's recommendation, the defense ministry said they planned to visit the missions at any convenient time in July-August, taking the pandemic situation into account.

The ministry said this at a meeting of the parliamentary committee held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Wednesday. Earlier, the committee had visited the peacekeeping mission twice in the tenth and current eleventh parliaments.

The parliamentary committee had recommended the ministry to make arrangements for inspection of the mission areas late last year. At a committee meeting held in December, the ministry said that the Armed Forces Department had informed the Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defense about the undergoing process of inspecting the activities of members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces in the UN peacekeeping mission. However, the tour has not yet taken place.

The visit was discussed again in the meeting of the parliamentary committee held last February. Later, the committee again considered the overall situation and asked the members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces working in the UN peacekeeping missions to schedule a visit at the earliest convenient time.

At today's meeting of the committee, the Ministry of Defense said that the Armed Forces Department has informed that considering the situation of Corona infection, the visit of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defense to visit UN peacekeeping mission area at any convenient time in July-August is under process. Detailed tour plans will be sent shortly in coordination with the field mission.

The main function of the parliamentary committee is to review the activities of the ministry under the committee, to investigate irregularities and serious allegations and to examine the bill and give advice or recommendation to the ministry. In this case, if any special benefit is taken from the Ministry, there is a risk of conflict with the interests of the people concerned.

At various times, questions were raised about the foreign tour of the parliamentary committee with the money of the ministry. Later, the Prime Minister's Office directed the members of the parliamentary committee to visit foreign countries at the expense of the Parliament Secretariat.

On the other hand, in order to reduce the pressure on the foreign exchange reserves, the government has decided to suspend the foreign visits of government officials and postpone the implementation of less important development projects without special need.