02 November 2004	Tuesday	18 Ramazan 1425

DHAKA, Nov 1: The government of Bangladesh on Sunday introduced in Parliament a bill seeking legal immunity for multilateral lending agencies, especially including World Bank, amid strong objection from the main opposition party.

Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman piloted the bill, The International Financial Organisations Order (Amendment) Act 2004, proposing to provide the lending agencies with immunity.

He said the proposed law provides immunity to World Bank as a body - a privilege that the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank already enjoy.

While introducing the bill, the finance minister was opposed by opposition Awami League's Shah AMS Kibria, former finance minister, who termed it "objectionable, illogical, immoral and unnecessary". Kibria said passage of the bill with such privileges the WB was inconsistent with principles of democracy.

He added that the Bretton Woods institutions do not enjoy such privileges in any country in South Asia.